Spinning Secrets (A Parallel Worlds Sequel)
by blissfulnightsecret
Summary: The third book in the Parallel Worlds Series. Allegra, the trio and her Slytherins move into sixth year, where their worlds begin to crumble and Allegra loses her grip on her Slytherin friends. Can they hold on?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the third book in the Parallel Worlds Series. If you haven't read Parallel Worlds I suggest jumping back and reading that first. There is also PW: Summer Nights full of summer-time drama. As I've said before, though the story follows canon pretty closely some characters and stories are slightly different. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 1

The compartment door was flung open by a flushed third year girl who then stepped inside.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Allegra Boone and Harry P-Potter," she stuttered as her eyes scanned over the now famous group in the compartment and then met Harry's eyes. She immediately turned a deep scarlet colour and held out three scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon. With a confused glance at Harry, Allegra warily took the scroll addressed to her and the girl stumbled backwards and out the compartment, looking unnecessarily star struck.

"What is it?" Ron asked, peering over Allegra's shoulder before she'd even opened it.

"An invitation," Harry said.

 _Allegra,_

 _I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C1._

 _Sincerely, Professor H.E.F Slughorn_

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" Neville asked, perplexed.

"New teacher," Harry answered simply. "Well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?"

"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked nervously, as if he was expecting punishment already.

"No idea," Harry said, in a tone Allegra thought sounded suspiciously similar to his lying voice. "Listen, let's go under the invisibility cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to." Harry suggested and Neville agreed.

"I won't," Allegra said, declining with her hand, "I don't need it. I can talk to him. You might learn something you want, anyway."

Harry's idea came to nothing; the corridors were packed with people on the lookout for the lunch trolley, and thus it was impossible to navigate through with the cloak on. Harry put it away with a regretful expression. Allegra began to regret it, too, as the staring became unbearable. With the exception of Cho Chang, who darted into her compartment when she saw Harry leading the way but still managed to sneer at Allegra as she passed. Apparently inviting people to your parties meant for nothing these days.

"Rude bit-" Harry leaned back and tugged Allegra forwards before she had a chance to insult Cho properly.

When the three of them finally reached compartment C1, they saw immediately that they were not Slughorn's only invitees, although judging by the look on Slughorn's face and his enthusiastic welcome, their small group had been the most anticipated.

"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn jumped up at the sight of Harry and his fat velvet covered belly seemed to fill the whole compartment. "Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr Longbottom!" Neville nodded timidly. "And that leaves one, you must be Miss Boone!" He exclaimed a little frighteningly, and Allegra took a step back out into the hallway. He gestured for them to enter and he sat back down. Harry and Neville took the two free seats, which were nearest the door. That left Allegra standing in the doorway, looking awkward. "Ah, Allegra, what to do with you -"

"She can share my seat," a familiar voice suggested with some amusement. Allegra looked up to find Blaise smirking at her from his window seat.

"Oh good, thank you, that's fine presuming that the two of you are comfortable with that arrangement?" Allegra nodded quickly and tried to shove herself into the tiny gap between the wall and Blaise, but ended up half sitting on him.

Also in the compartment were two seventh year boys Allegra recognised but only knew by name, and squished against the wall opposite Allegra, looking more bewildered than the rest of them, was Ginny.

"Now, do you know everyone?" Slughorn asked, glancing from Harry to Neville to Allegra. "Blaise Zambini is in your year, of course -" Blaise nodded curtly. "This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you've come across each other? No?" Cormac was a Gryffindor, tall and built with thick Irish-looking hair, and raised a hand in greeting. Allegra had spoken with him a few times about quidditch and such, but found him painfully obnoxious. "And this is Marcus Belby, I don't know whether -?"

Belby, who looked very small and nervous next to Cormac, with light sand coloured hair, strained a smile. "- and _this_ young lady tells me she knows you!" Slughorn finished happily. Ginny grimaced at Harry and Neville from behind Slughorn's back, before looking at Allegra, pushing herself as far into the corner and away from Slughorn and mouthing _help me_ with a desperate expression. Allegra smiled sympathetically, feeling pretty happy to be sat next to (or on) one of her best friends.

Blaise sniggered in Allegra's ear.

"Well, now this is most pleasant," Slughorn said cosily. Judging from the surrounding expressions, he was the only one who thought so. "A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch, the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on liquorish wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things ... pheasant, Belby?"

Belby started and then accepted what looked like a cold pheasant sandwich. "I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles," Slughorn told the group, passing around a basket of rolls. "Outstanding wizard, outstanding, and his Order of Merlin most well deserved. Do you see your Uncle much, Marcus?"

Unfortunately, Marcus had just taken a large mouthful of his sandwich and in such haste to answer Slughorn's question, swallowed too soon, turned purple and began to choke.

" _Anapneo_ ," Slughorn said calmly, pointing his wand at Marcus, whose airways cleared at once.

"Not ... not much of him, no." Belby gasped, his eyes streaming and his face flushed red.

"Well, of course, I daresay he's busy, I doubt he invented the Wolfsbane Potion without considerable hard work!"

"I suppose ..." Marcus said, placing his sandwich on his lap. "Er ... he and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't really know much about ..." his voice tailed away as Slughorn gave him a cold smile and turned to Cormac instead.

"Now _you_ , Cormac," Slughorn began, beaming, "I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting Nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?"

"Oh yeah, that was good fun, that was," Cormac nodded with a mouthful of food. "We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour - this was before he became Minister - obviously -"

"Ah, you know Bertie and Rufus, too?" Slughorn offered around a small plate of pies, and Allegra politely rejected the offer, observing that Belby was now left out. Allegra listened to him drivel on, and McLaggen answered his questions half-heartedly. He then started on Blaise, who answered his questions minimally.

Blaise had a famously beautiful witch for a mother and each of her seven marriages had ended in divorce or the husband dead, both outcomes leaving her with mounds of gold. Not to mention her many boyfriends and admirers who were always only too happy to spoil her with beautiful, expensive things.

Slughorn then asked Neville about his parents, and he staggered his way through. Allegra expected him to talk to Harry next, since he was sitting next to him, but instead he turned to her.

"Now, Allegra!" He exclaimed so suddenly Blaise felt her jolt. "Where to start with you, aye? What a year you've had. It's a great mystery what happened to you in the late spring - early summer months of this year, terribly covered up by the Ministry, which only makes it all the more intriguing! I would love to hear about your experiences -"

"Another time, Professor," Allegra smiled, glancing around the room. Slughorn followed her eyes and then grinned.

"Ah, of course! What about your father, he's done terribly well for himself, where is he at the moment?"

"At home, I think they've got a match in France in a few weeks -"

"Delightful!"

Slughorn did eventually move on to talking to and about Harry, before explaining that he had seen Ginny performing one of her Bat-Bogey hexes on the way past her carriage.

The afternoon really dragged on; Slughorn could talk for England and kept mentioning something called the 'Slug Club'. Eventually it started getting dark and he let his guests go. Allegra walked ahead with Blaise and Ginny, Neville and Harry followed along behind. She was planning to drop in to see Draco before going back to the compartment to change.

"That was like beating my head against a wall for three hours," Allegra breathed. Blaise nodded in agreement and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"How long do you reckon we've got till we get to Hogsmeade?" Blaise asked, glancing out the dark windows.

"Half an hour or so, I'd guess." Allegra shrugged and ignored all the people that were _still_ looking at her from within their compartments.

"Are you coming to see Draco?"

"That's what I was planning."

Blaise opened his compartment door wide when they arrived and Allegra stepped inside and moved to the window to stand near Draco. Blaise tried to slide the compartment door closed but it stopped suddenly about three inches from closing. Blaise attempted to close it several more times, slamming it hard.

"What's wrong with this thing?" Blaise said irritably before the door flew open, throwing Blaise into Goyle's lap. Allegra couldn't help but laugh as Blaise snarled at Goyle, who then closed the door with unbelievable force himself.

"Urgh," Pansy was looking up and down at Allegra with a disgusted expression.

"Stop it, Pansy." Draco growled menacingly, moving over towards her so Allegra could sit down.

"How are you?"

"Alright," Draco shrugged. "You?"

"Bored."

"What did Slughorn want?"

"Just trying to suck up to well-connected people," Blaise said, "not that he actually managed to find any, but at least Ali was there."

"Who else did he invite?"

"McLaggen, a Gryffindor -"

"Oh yeah, his uncle's big in the Ministry," Draco said.

"- someone called Belby, from Ravenclaw -"

"Not him! He's a prat!" Pansy said, and for the first time ever Allegra found herself agreeing with her.

"Slughorn worked that out fairly quickly." Allegra said.

"- and Longbottom, Potter and Ginny Weasley."

" _Longbottom_?" Draco repeated disbelievingly. "Harry's obvious, I can understand the interest in _The Chosen One_ , but why Ginny?"

"A lot of boys like her," Pansy said, eyeing Draco out the corner of her eye for his reaction. "Even you think she's good looking, don't you, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please."

"A lot of boys like Allegra, but I don't think the way she looks is why he invited her, either." Draco said. Blaise nodded. This didn't seem to be the answer Pansy wanted.

"I need to go and change," Allegra blurted out, deciding she really wasn't up for a Slytherin conversation.

"Alright, I'll talk to you later tonight," Draco said without questioning her.

"See you tonight," Blaise winked as he opened the door for her and she left.

Allegra eventually found the compartment (she'd lost it for about five minutes, only to find she'd walked past it three times) and Ron, Luna and Neville were inside, dressed in their school robes and chatting.

"Hey," Allegra smiled sliding the door open. "Ron, can you pass me my bag?"

"Sure," he stood up and passed it to her.

"Where's Hermione?"

"She and Gin have gone to get changed."

"What about Harry?"

"Getting changed too," Neville said quickly, laughing nervously as Ron agreed.

"Okay," Allegra said, shooting them an odd expression before leaving for the bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Harry was nowhere to be seen. Allegra stood looking up and down the platform for a good five minutes as students exited the train, but none of them were Harry.

"Come on, Ali," Hermione prompted, "he must have gone on ahead."

Allegra waited a minute more and then Ron pulled her away to the carriages. Something just didn't feel right.

"Tonks!" Allegra called seeing her standing and watching the students get into their carriages. Ron and Hermione had walked ahead and right passed her.

"Hey, Allegra," she greeted dully.

"What are you doing here?"

"Posted here with a few other Aurors to keep an eye on the school," she told her unenthusiastically, "watching out for you and Harry."

"Have you seen him?" Allegra asked urgently. Tonks immediately picked up on her worried tone.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think he got off the train, and I haven't seen him in almost an hour ... something feels off, Tonks." She looked at Allegra for a second and then nodded.

"Alright, I'll go and check everything out once everyone's off the train."

"Thanks," Allegra breathed, "see you later." Tonks smiled and Allegra jogged to catch up with Hermione and Ron.

Harry appeared suddenly at the dinner table opposite Allegra and forced his way into a small gap between Ron and Hermione.

"Harry," Allegra whispered in relief as the other two moved over for him. Upon looking at his face she gasped, "Harry, what happened to your face?" His face was covered in dried blood, as well as down his neck and the top of his t-shirt. Everyone was staring at him, even more than they had been for coming in late.

"You're covered in blood!" Hermione said. "Come here - _Tergo!_ " The blood disappeared.

"Thanks," Harry said casually, feeling his now clean face. "How's my nose looking?"

"Like it always does," Hermione said anxiously, "but why shouldn't it? Harry what happened, we've been so worried!"

"I'll tell you later." Harry's eyes scanned quickly over everyone who was eavesdropping on the conversation. As Harry reached for the chicken legs the food faded and was replaced with pudding. Ron immediately dived for a large chocolate gateau as Allegra leapt for a huge slice of chocolate fudge cake.

"You two make yourselves sick every year," Hermione told them motherly as Allegra cut a slice the size of a baby's head. Allegra and Ron exchanged a smile and shrugged happily.

"You missed the sorting, mate." Ron told Harry through a mouthful.

"Hat say anything interesting?" Harry asked, not looking too upset about missing the first course.

"Not really," Ron replied, "all the usual stuff, uniting to face our enemies, you know."

"Dumbledore mentioned Voldemort yet?"

"Not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast, doesn't he? It can't be long now."

"Snape said Hagrid was late for the feast -"

"You've seen Snape? How come?" Allegra asked.

"Bumped into him," Harry said, and Allegra raised an eyebrow that he avoided.

"Hagrid was only a few minutes late," Hermione said. "Look, he's waving at you, Harry."

Hagrid was waving enthusiastically at Harry, and he grinned back. Out of the corner of Allegra's eye she saw Professor Dumbledore rise from his chair and walk towards the front of the stage. Allegra turned her attention to the front of the hall as he began to speak.

"The very best of evenings to you!" He began smiling broadly, his arms open wide as though embracing the whole room.

"What's happened to his hand?" Hermione gasped. Allegra looked at his hands; his right had become blackened and dead-looking, as if he had held it in a fire. Everyone seemed to have noticed as well, but he merely smiled and lowered his arms so his purple and gold sleeve slipped down to cover the injury.

"Nothing to worry about," he said airily. "Now ... to our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back! Another full year of education awaits you ..."

"His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer," Harry whispered. "I thought he'd have cured it by now, though."

"It looks as if it's died," Hermione said, slightly horrified. "But there are some injuries you can't cure ... old curses ... and there are poisons without antidotes ..."

"... and Mr Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." Allegra laughed to herself as she thought of her little stash of such items hidden at the bottom of her trunk. "Those wishing to play for their house quidditch teams should give their names to Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new quidditch commentators, who should do likewise. We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Slughorn." Slughorn stood up and Allegra was surprised he hadn't knocked the teachers' table over with his enormous stomach. "He is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions Master."

"Potions?" Allegra repeated, turning to look at her three friends across the table with a look of horror.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," Dumbledore raised his voice, "will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry exclaimed loudly, staring at the staff table, incensed.

"But Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching DADA!" Hermione said.

"I thought he was!" Harry said. "I assumed he would be!"

Snape had not stood up at the mention of his name, merely raised a hand lazily at a small applause that had broken out from the Slytherin table.

"Well, there's one good thing," Harry said bitterly, "Snape'll be gone by the end of the year."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"That job's jinxed. No one's lasted more than one year ... Quirrell actually died doing it. Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death ..."

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, shocked and reproachful.

"Same," Allegra grumbled sourly.

"Allegra!" Hermione said with the same outrage.

"He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year," Ron said reasonably. "That Slughorn bloke might not want to stay-long term, Moody didn't."

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Now, as everybody in this hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining strength." The silence seemed to get heavy as Dumbledore spoke.

Allegra was listening, but she had also spotted a left over cupcake up by the seventh years. It had perfect pink icing and Allegra considered whether in the current atmosphere, anyone would really notice a cupcake moving by itself down the table. "I cannot emphasise strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on part of any student of member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose on you however irksome you might find them - in particular, the rule that you are not outside your common rooms after hours, and as proven last year, do not go wandering into the Forbidden Forest alone. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and each other's safety." Dumbledore's eyes swept over them all before smiling again.

"A-ha!" Allegra exclaimed triumphantly, grasping hold of the cupcake in her right hand. The contents of the hall looked at her. "Sorry," Allegra whispered. Dumbledore chuckled in forgiveness and amusement.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say goodnight."

The deafening screech of benches being pushed back over the stone floor rang out and people began filing out. Once again, the students took to gawping at the group, Allegra especially, since she waited by the door for her Slytherin friends.

"You are actually an embarrassment to know," Blaise told her as he and Draco walked to where Allegra was waiting.

"Why?" Allegra asked through the last mouthful of the cupcake.

"That's why." Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, would you have been able to say no to that cupcake?" She said finishing it.

"Yes," Draco said with a smile.

"Well then, you have stronger will-power than I."

"How many girls do you know, Blaise, who would not only set out upon a mission to get the last pink frosted cupcake on their table, but become so engrossed in the task that they shout in triumph in the middle of their Headmaster's speech?"

"One." Blaise grinned.

"And who would that be?"

"Allegra Boone." Blaise said in a tone that suggested he was enjoying himself.

"I thought so." Draco said in a similar tone.

"Point taken," Allegra rolled her eyes and walked them out of the hall.

Allegra met the other three down in the common room the next morning, and they immediately looked shifty.

"Are you all okay?" She asked, looking around at the staring students.

"Yeah, just this lot." Hermione replied quickly and Allegra nodded. She'd been a lot more chilled out than her usual first day, which was a welcome change.

"It's rude to point!" Ron snapped at a very petite first year as they joined the queue to climb out the portrait. The boy, who had been whispering something to his friend, quickly turned crimson and fell out the hole in alarm. Ron sniggered.

"I love being a sixth year. _And_ we're going to be getting free time this year. Whole periods where we can just sit up here and relax."

"We're going to need that time for studying, Ron!" Hermione said as they set off down the corridor.

"Yeah, but not today," Ron said. "Today's going to be a real doss, I reckon."

"Hold it!" Hermione suddenly shouted, causing Allegra to jump out of her skin. She had thrown an arm out to halt a passing fourth year who was attempting to push past her with a lime-green disc clutched tightly in his hand. "Fanged Frisbees are banned, hand it over," she told him sternly. The boy scowled at her before throwing it at her and running after his friends. Ron tugged the frisbee from Hermione's grip.

"Excellent, I've always wanted one of these." Hermione's remonstration was drowned by a loud giggle; Lavender had apparently found Ron's remark highly amusing. Allegra glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow, and Pavarti was doing the same from walking next to Lavender.

"Hi Allegra, Hermione," Pavarti rolled her eyes at them and followed Lavender.

Ron looked pleased with himself.

The ceiling of the Great Hall was serenely blue and streaked with pale wispy white clouds. McGonagall was nowhere to be seen yet, so they took a seat at the table and tucked in while Harry and Ron told Allegra an embarrassing story about Hagrid and themselves.

"But he can't really think we'd continue Care of Magical Creatures!" Hermione said, distressed. "I mean, when have any of us showed any enthusiasm?"

"That it, though, innit?" Ron said swallowing an entire fried egg. "We're the ones who made the most effort in class because we like Hagrid. But he thinks we liked the stupid _subject_. D'you reckon anyone's going to go on to N.E.W.T?"

"Um," the two boys and Hermione looked at Allegra, "I've taken it."

There was a long pause where they just looked at her.

"You're probably going to get one-on-one tutoring then," Harry said. "Good for you though, I guess."

Allegra shrugged, she didn't mind. It had been that or History.

After they finished breakfast they waited for McGonagall to pass out their timetables. The process would be even more complicated this year, and thus sixth years were left to last, as she had to confirm everyone's timetables with them and make sure they had achieved the necessary O.W.L grades to continue with their chosen N.E. .

Only not for Allegra, since she hadn't taken her O. she had had her N.E.W.T classes confirmed in the summer.

Hermione was, of course, immediately cleared for all her subjects. Hermione left immediately after to get her things for her first lesson, Ancient Runes. Neville was next to be sorted out, out of the nearby students.

"Herbology, fine," McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout was delighted to see you back with an O O.W.L, and DADA is fine also ... the only problem here is Transfiguration, I'm sorry, but I can't let you carry it on, I just don't think you'd cope with the coursework." Neville hung his head. "Why do you want to continue with Transfiguration, anyway? I've never had the impression that you've particularly enjoyed it." Neville just looked miserable and muttered something about it being what his grandmother wanted.

"Humph," McGonagall snorted, "it's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have - particularly after what happened at the Ministry." Neville grew pink and blinked a lot; Professor McGonagall had never paid him a complement before. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you into my N.E.W.T class. But you got an E in charms, why not try for a N.E.W.T in charms?"

"My grandmother thinks Charms is a soft option," Neville mumbled.

"Take Charms," Professor McGonagall told him, "and I shall drop Augusta a line reminding her that just because she failed _her_ Charms O.W.L, does not render the subject immediately worthless." Now smiling slightly, she tapped a blank timetable with the tip of her wand and handed it to Neville, now covered in his classes.

She then turned to Pavarti, who immediately asked if Firenze, the handsome centaur, was still teaching divination.

"He and Professor Trelawney are dividing classes between them this year. The sixth year is being taken by Professor Trelawney." Pavarti set off for Divination five minutes later slightly crestfallen. She next turned to Harry.

"Potter, Potter ... Charms, DADA, Herbology, Transfiguration ... all fine. I must say, I was pleased with your Transfiguration mark, very pleased. Now why haven't you applied to carry on Potions? I thought it was your ambition to become an auror?"

"It was, but you told me I had to get an O in my O.W.L, Professor."

"And so you did when Professor Snape was teaching the subject. Professor Slughorn, however, is perfectly happy to accept N.E.W.T students with an E. Do you wish to proceed with Potions?"

"Yes," Harry said quickly, "but I didn't buy the books or any ingredients or anything -"

"I'm sure he'll lend you some." Harry smiled and stood to wait for Ron and Allegra.

"Allegra, you're easy." McGonagall tapped her timetable and it all appeared. "Oh, and by the way - twenty hopefuls have already put their names down for quidditch tryouts. I'll give you the list soon so you can fix up trials at your leisure."

"Thanks," Allegra said, looking down at her timetable and seeing that she had Care of Magical Creatures first. She waved goodbye to the boys and headed off.

"Blaise, you're doing Care of Magical Creatures?" Allegra grinned as she walked down to Hagrid's hut.

"Yeah," he smiled. "I thought it would just be me." Both Allegra and Blaise glanced to the left of him at a sandy haired boy, a Ravenclaw who looked friendly enough.

"Hi, I'm James," he said politely.

"Hey," Allegra smiled and Blaise did his usual silent nod. "What made you take this class?" This wasn't usually a class a Ravenclaw needed on their resume.

"I'm a bit of a misfit Ravenclaw ... I'm the one who can't answer the questions on the house door."

Allegra laughed, "how did you get sorted into it?"

"I think I had potential at eleven," he shrugged, "I gave up at twelve."

Allegra laughed again and glanced at Blaise. He was smirking as though he found something amusing and she shot him a glare that only he could notice, before turning back to smile at James.

"So, do you think it will just be us three?" James asked.

"Yep." Allegra nodded without hesitation and he laughed. Hagrid appeared only moments later.

"Allegra, where's Harry, Ron and 'Mione?" He asked, scanning the ground as though he'd dropped them.

"They ... didn't take it." Hagrid looked heartbroken and stood in front of them without moving for over ten seconds.

"Righ'," he shrugged to himself, "well, I guess it's just yerselves, then. We better get started."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After Care of Magical Creatures both Blaise and Allegra had Defense Against the Dark Arts, so they walked there together. When they arrived they were some of the last.

"Do you want to sit with Hermione? I'll find new arm candy."

Allegra pouted, "as long as they're not as pretty as me."

"No one's as pretty as you."

"Naw, you," Allegra swooned and Blaise walked towards some other green-robed people. Allegra took her seat next to Hermione. Harry was about to ask how Care of Magical Creatures had been when Snape came in.

He had added his usual decorating charm to the room; black curtains had been drawn over the windows and candles lit. Allegra found it hard to decide whether she preferred Snape's dungeon or Umbridge's pink cats.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," Snape said, closing the door and moving to face the class from behind his desk; Hermione hastily dropped her copy of Confronting the Faceless back into her bag and kicked it back under the bench beneath her. "I wish to speak to you and I want your fullest attention." His black eyes roamed over the class. "You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe." Allegra scoffed; he knew fine well that he was their sixth. "Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T work, which will be much more advanced."

Snape set off around the room, speaking in a lower tone so that they had to strain to hear. "The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, and indestructible."

Allegra narrowed her eyes at his words; it was certainly a unique way of presenting it. It sounded like he'd thought this through.

"Your defenses," he went on, a little louder than before, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures," he indicated to a group of fairly gruesome pictures on the wall as he swept past, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse." He waved a hand towards a witch who was writhing on the floor and clearly shrieking in agony. "The Dementor's Kiss," this picture was a wizard huddled blank eyed against a dark wall, "or provoke the aggression of the inferius," the picture was simply a bloody mass on the ground.

"Has an inferius been seen, then?" Pavarti asked from the middle isle of desks, sitting right at the front. "Is it definite he's using them?"

"The Dark Lord has used inferi in the past, which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again. Now," Snape walked towards Allegra's side of the room, his long cloak billowing around his legs. "You are, I believe, complete novices in the use of non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?" Hermione's hand went up immediately. "Miss Granger?"

"Your opponent has no warning on what spell you're going to perform."

"Good." He snapped his gaze off Hermione and Allegra followed it as it glazed over the class. Blaise and Draco were sat in the opposite back corner, not paying any particular attention to the lesson, and Draco seemed to be pointing out something - judging by his grimace - more disgusting than the first pictures. "Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting. Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some," his gaze obviously flicked towards Harry, "lack."

Harry and Snape glared at each other until Snape looked away.

"You will now divide into pairs; one partner will attempt to jinx the other _without speaking_. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in _equal silence_. Carry on." Allegra turned to Hermione who was looking worried.

"I'm going to be very good at this," Allegra said, not sounding very pleased. Hermione was watching Neville approach, since he didn't have a pair.

"Do you mind if I join you?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Not at all, Neville," Hermione answered quickly. "Allegra can sit out for a while and watch, she doesn't mind."

Allegra smiled and sat against the wall to watch. The longer she could stay out the way the longer she would have before a., everyone noticed that she was suddenly extremely talented, and b., before someone was either hurt or at the very least extremely uncomfortable.

As Allegra expected, Hermione managed to repel Neville's whispered Jelly-Legs jinx ten minutes in without muttering a single word, something that would have probably earned her a good amount of praise in the form of house points from any decent teacher, but Snape watched and ignored. Instead, he swept over to watch Harry and Ron struggle.

Ron had started to turn purple and had his lips pressed firmly together to prevent him from muttering the incantation. Harry had his want raised, waiting on tenterhooks to repel a jinx that was unlikely to ever come.

"Pathetic, Weasley," Snape said after a while. "Here - let me show you -" He turned on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively; all thought of non-verbal spells forgotten he yelled _"_ _Protego!_ " His shield charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balanced and hit a desk. The whole class looked around and watched as Snape righted himself, scowling. "Do you remember me telling you that we are practising _non-verbal_ spells, Potter?"

"Yes," Harry said stiffly.

"Yes, _sir_."

"There's no need to call me _sir_ , Professor." The words seemed to escape Harry before he knew what he'd said. Several people gasped, including Hermione. Behind Snape, Ron, Dean and Seamus were grinning appreciatively and Allegra let out a snicker. Snape glared at her venomously and then turned back to Harry.

"Detention, Saturday night, my office," he growled. "I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter ... not even the _Chosen One_." Snape glared at Harry for a few more seconds and then at an alarming rate, while the whole class was still watching, turned to glare at Allegra.

"Miss Boone, why is it that I haven't seen you do a thing, yet you have time to laugh at your friend?"

"Err -"

"Come, let's see you do something - with Miss Granger." Allegra got up and switched places with Neville, who seemed thankful to get out of the way. Allegra stood and looked at Hermione apologetically. She looked scared.

"Are you ready, Hermione?"

"Miss Boone, your opponent doesn't need to be ready, that would rather defeat the purpose of the exercise, don't you think?"

Hermione nodded a little, and Allegra decided on the same Jelly-Legs jinx that Neville had been trying to do. Without even moving her wand, Hermione's legs suddenly lost all structure and she fell to the floor. Allegra subconsciously undid the jinx the same way. Snape looked at her with a look of challenge and scrutiny.

"... Good." He mumbled and walked towards his desk.

"That was brilliant, Harry!" Ron praised as soon as he felt they were far enough away from Snape's classroom.

"You really shouldn't have said it," Hermione said, frowning at Ron. "What made you?"

"He tried to jinx me, in case you didn't notice!" Harry fumed. "I had enough of that during those Occlumency lessons! Why doesn't he use another guinea pig for a change?"

"I think he's going to," Hermione said darkly, glancing between the four of them. "Did you see the way he was looking at Allegra?"

Allegra nodded. "I think he knows. Or at least, he thinks he knows."

"What's Dumbledore playing at, anyway, letting him teach Defense? Did you hear him talk about the Dark Arts? He loves them! All that _unfixed, indestructible_ stuff -"

"Well," Hermione breathed, "I thought he sounded a bit like you."

"Like _me_?" Harry repeated, looking completely shocked.

"Yes, when you were telling us what it's like to face Voldemort. You said it wasn't just memorising a bunch of spells, you said it was just you and your brains and your guts - well, wasn't that what Snape was saying? That it really comes down to being brave and quick-thinking?" Harry looked completely gobsmacked.

"I'm not sure Snape and Harry make a very good comparison, Hermione," Allegra mediated.

"Harry! Hey, Harry!" They stopped; Jack Sloper, a beater that had stepped in for Fred and George last year, was hurrying towards them with a roll of parchment. "For you." He panted, handing Harry the parchment and turning to look at Allegra. "Listen, I heard you're the new Captain. When are you holding trials?"

"Probably this weekend," Allegra said, "or early next week, but I'll put a notice up in the Common Room tomorrow."

"Oh good. I was hoping it would be this weekend." Allegra smiled and then Harry dragged them away up the corridor.

"You're not going to let him back on the team, are you?" Ron said. "He was awful." Allegra shrugged and smiled.

"He may have improved over the summer, he's certainly grown." Ron sighed and smiled crookedly.

"That's why you're going to make a good captain." Ron then peered over Harry's shoulder to read the note. "He enjoys Acid Pops?"

"It's the password to get past the gargoyle outside his study," Harry said in a low voice. "Ha! ... Snape's not going to be pleased ... I won't be able to do his detention!"

The four of them spent the whole of their break speculating what would be the content of his first lesson, and wondered if Dumbledore would arrange to see Allegra in the near future.

"He's probably just waiting for you to get settled, you've got the quidditch team to think about now, you know," Ron said.

After break Allegra, Harry and Ron went to the common room as Hermione headed off for Arithmancy. The three of them started on an essay Snape had set them, but it turned out to be so complex and boring that none of them had finished it by the time Hermione joined them at lunch. She helped them finish it just in time for the end of their after-lunch free period to head down to double Potions together, hoping that Slughorn would be considerably more fun than Snape had been.

When they arrived they saw that not many students had chosen to carry on N.E.W.T level Potions, and Allegra didn't blame them. Potions after O.W.L level wasn't always a particularly useful subject on your resume, and if you didn't need it, you certainly didn't take it.

There were a small group of Slytherins, including Blaise and Draco, four Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff - Ernie McMillan.

"Harry," Ernie greeted, holding out his hand as the four entered the room, "didn't get a chance to speak in DADA this morning. Good lesson, I thought, but Shield Charms are an old hat, of course, for us old DA lags ... How are you Allegra? Ron - Hermione?"

Before they could answer the dungeon door opened and Slughorn's belly preceded him through the door. As he entered, he greeted Allegra, Harry and Blaise with unneeded enthusiasm. The room had changed since last year, there were only three tables instead of lots of individual tables, seated to four to a table. The four Slytherins took a table together, as did the four Ravenclaws, and Ernie was quick to push Allegra out of a seat to sit with Ron, Hermione and Harry. She hadn't seen whether he'd done it consciously or not, because Slughorn had been talking to her.

"Ah, Allegra, nowhere to sit?" Slughorn said as the class watched Allegra stand alone in the middle of the room. "Not a problem, you can have my desk." Allegra smiled in thanks, half pleased to have a plush red leather chair, and half irritated that she was going to be sat in front of the rest of the class.

Allegra settled herself in the huge chair and pushed herself a little space at the huge oak desk, looking at her classmates with a bewildered expression.

The dungeon was already filled with strange vapours and odd smells. Allegra suddenly realised that perhaps Slughorn would soon regret placing her at his desk, as her concoctions did tend to set things on fire, cause others to pass out or act as a strong acid if Draco wasn't there to keep her on the right track.

"Now then, now then, now then," Slughorn began with his back to Allegra, turning back once to grin at her a little creepily over his shoulder. "Scales out, everyone, and potions kits, and don't forget your copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_ ..." Allegra bent down and disappeared from view below the desk, she fished out what she needed and plonked it all on top of the desk.

"Sir?" Harry said, raising his hand.

"Harry, m'boy?"

"I haven't got my book or scales or anything - nor's Ron - we didn't realise we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T, you see -"

"Ah yes, Professor McGonagall did mention ... not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all. You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can order from Flourish and Blotts ..."

Slughorn strode past Allegra to a corner cupboard and she noticed Blaise and Draco smirking at her. Allegra pulled a face at them telling them to piss off. Slughorn reappeared with two battered copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_ by Libatius Borage, which he gave to Harry and Ron along with two sets of tarnished scales. "Now then," he said, turning back to the class, just in front of Allegra. "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E. . You ought to have heard of them, even if you haven't made them yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?" He indicated to a cauldron nearest the Slytherin table, to Allegra's right. Allegra's desk was on a slightly raised platform, which made it easy to see the potion it held, it looked just like plain water. Hermione's hand flew up immediately and Slughorn pointed at her.

"It's Veritaserum, a colourless, odourless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."

"Very good, very good!" Slughorn said happily. "Now," he continued, pointing in the middle of the room nearest the Ravenclaw table, "this one here is pretty well-known ... featured in a few Ministry leaflets lately, too ... who can -?"

Hermione's hand was once again the fastest to go up.

"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said almost breathlessly. Allegra, too, recognised the potion, having helped her brew it in second year.

"Excellent, excellent! Now this one here ... yes, my dear?" Slughorn said, now looking slightly bemused as Hermione's hand hit the air again.

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," Slughorn grinned looking mightily impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

"Quite right! You recognised it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?" Allegra sat back, she could tell Hermione would dominate this class, because Slughorn would let her.

"And the sheen rising in characteristic spirals," she said enthusiastically, beaming at all the praise she was getting. "And it's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass, new parchment and -" she quickly turned a light fuchsia and did not complete the sentence.

"May I ask your name, dear?" Slughorn asked, ignoring Hermione's embarrassment. Allegra leant forwards across the giant desk and tried to get a whiff of the potion at the edge of the desk. All she could smell, was really, really good aftershave - or some other manly scent, and a hint of fudge.

"Hermione Granger, sir."

"Granger? Granger? Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger, who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

"No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggleborn, you see." Allegra saw Draco lean into Theo Nott and whisper something and snicker. Allegra frowned at him; he noticed and cut his laughter short.

"Oho! _'_ _One of my best friends is Muggleborn and she_ _''_ _s the best in our year!_ _'_ I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?" Slughorn said.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Hermione turned to speak to Harry, but Allegra couldn't hear what was being said at such a distance. Allegra sat back in the chair with an annoyed huff. Maybe Slughorn had purposely sat her there so she couldn't chat and would have to concentrate.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Amortentia doesn't really create _love_ , of course. It's impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room - oh yes," he said, nodding gravely at the Slytherin table, most of whom were smiling skeptically. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love ... and now, it's time for us to start working."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," Ernie McMillan said, pointing at a small black cauldron sat on the far corner of his desk. Allegra hadn't even noticed it.

"Oho," Slughorn said again. "Yes. That. Well, _that_ one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis. I take it," he turned, and smiled looking at Hermione who had let out an audible gasp, "that you know what Felix Felicis does, Miss Granger?"

"It's liquid luck," Hermione said excitedly. "It makes you lucky!" Just as you had plopped down into the squishy leather seat, the whole class suddenly seemed very interested. Even the Slytherins were paying undivided attention.

"Quite right, take another ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis, desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong." Allegra looked at the potion and leaned away. Anything that was dangerous to get wrong, shouldn't be near her. "However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavours tend to succeed ... at least until the effects wear off."

"Why don't people drink it all the time, sir?" Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw, asked eagerly.

"Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence, too much of a good thing you know ... highly toxic in large quantities. But taken sparingly, and very occasionally ..."

"Have you ever taken it, sir?" Michael Corner asked.

"Twice in my life, once when I was twenty-four, and once when I was fifty-seven. Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast. Two perfect days." He gazed dreamily off towards the back of the classroom. "And that," he continued, breaking out of his dreamy state, "is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson." There was a short silence as the three tables in front of Allegra seemed to get tense. "One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis," he said, taking a minuscule glass bottle with a cork in it out of his pocket and showed it to everyone in front of him. "Enough for twelve hours luck. From dawn till dusk, you will be lucky in everything you attempt. Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organised competitions ... sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only ... and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary! So," Slughorn said, suddenly brisk, "how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of _Advanced Potion-Making_. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it's more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does the best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"

There were loud clunks as everyone found cauldrons and scales. Allegra opened the book and looked down at the page. And felt immediately lost. Allegra picked up a root and started chopping on a board Slughorn had brought over to protect his desk. Allegra finished chopping and looked around at the class, everyone was glancing around competitively and Harry looked as though he was having a hard time reading his book. Blaise was smirking in Allegra's direction.

 _Confused already?_ He mouthed and then laughed silently.

 _What_ _'_ _s the Sopophorous bean?_ Allegra mouthed back, holding up two peculiar vegetable looking things. Blaise held up the only thing that was obviously a bean and laughed to himself again. Allegra looked back down to her instructions and carried on with the potion.

The good thing about the practical aspect of potions was that even if she wasn't always particularly good at it, she always enjoyed it. The potion had already gone from a deep burgundy colour to a very deep purple, which wasn't a good sign as according to the book, it was meant to be getting light lighter in colour.

"And times up!" Slughorn cheered with a clap of his hands. Allegra looked down at her potion, it was meant to be as clear as water ... somehow, and surprising herself, she had actually managed to get it to a very pale, slightly translucent pink, but the main problem was that it seemed to be turning into a thick sludge. "Stop stirring, please!"

Slughorn moved slowly between the tables, peering into cauldrons. He made no comment, but occasionally gave the potions a stir or sniff. When he got to the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff table, he smiled ruefully at Ron's potion, whose potion had gotten very dark and thick. He gave Hermione's a very approving nod, and then he looked at Harry's and a look of incredulous delight spread over his face. Then he looked at Allegra, and smiled somewhat sympathetically before he'd even taken a look.

"Let's see how you've gotten on then, Allegra," he peaked into the cauldron and chuckled inwardly. "How did you get it that thick but that light?" Allegra smiled sheepishly. "A fair attempt, Allegra, a fair attempt." He turned to the rest of the class. "A clear winner!" he cried, walking in Harry's direction. "Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good Lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent, she was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are - one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!"

At the dinner table that night Harry decided to tell his three best friends exactly how he had won the Felix Felicis and Hermione's expression became graver with every word. He had been following different instructions that had been scribbled into his book.

"I s'pose you think I cheated?" He finished, clearly annoyed with Hermione's body language.

"Well, it wasn't exactly your own work, was it?" she told him stiffly.

"He only followed different instructions to ours," Ron said.

"Yeah, I would have done the same if they were working," Allegra agreed, and Hermione only gave her a look as if that was expected.

"It could have gone wrong, but he took a risk and it paid off." Ron continued.

"It's what makes him Gryffindor," Allegra smiled and Ron sighed heavily.

"Slughorn could've handed me that book, but no, I get the one no one's ever written in. _Puked on_ , by the look of page fifty-two, but -"

"Hang on," they looked up the table at Ginny. "Did I hear right? You've been taking orders from something someone wrote in a book, Harry?" She looked both alarmed and angry, and it was obvious why. It was only three or four years ago that she had had all the trouble with Riddle's diary.

"It's nothing," he said. "It's not like, you know, Riddle's diary. It's just an old text book someone's scribbled in."

"But you're doing what it says?"

"They're just adjustments to the previous instructions," Allegra said, trying to lighten the mood, "adding three toad tongues instead of four, things like that. It's not DADA or anything, just Potions."

"Ginny's got a point, though," Hermione said, perking up at once. Allegra doubted whether she was genuinely worried for Harry's safety or just sour because it had it not been for the book, she probably would have won the Felix Felicis. "We ought to check that there's nothing funny about it. I mean, all those weird instructions, who knows?"

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed as she pulled his Potions book out of his bag and raised her wand.

" _Specialis revelio!_ "

Nothing happened.

The book simply lay there, looking old and dirty and falling apart after years of use.

"Finished?" Harry grabbed the book irritably and pulled it towards him. "Or d'you want to wait and see if it does a few back flips?"

"It seems alright," Hermione said slowly, still eyeing the book suspiciously. "I mean, it really does seem to be ... just a textbook."

"Good." Harry snatched the book off the table and turned stuff it back in his bag.

"We can keep an eye on it anyway," Allegra smiled at Hermione. "It's not as though we won't notice if there's anything wrong with it."

"You're right," Hermione nodded and started on her pudding.

"I'm just going to the bathroom," Hermione glanced up at Allegra and nodded in acknowledgement as she pushed up off the table to stand and stepped back over the bench being careful not to kick Ron or Dean who had been sitting either side of her.

When she returned a few minutes later, Dean had disappeared but Ginny and a few of her fifth year friends were sat giggling where Dean and his mates had been.

"Apparently he's pretty hot," Ginny smiled at her giggling friends as Allegra sat back down at her place next to a blonde girl called Lisa.

"Who's pretty hot?" Allegra glanced at Harry, Ron and Hermione to see if they had been listening but they were facing up the table, probably put off by the girly banter.

"There's a new guy," Lisa said coyly, turning to grin at Allegra as she sat down. All five of the girls were turning around and apparently trying to see through the Hufflepuffs on the next table.

"I'm guessing he's a Ravenclaw?" They wouldn't have been bothering if it were a Slytherin. Another girl she didn't know the name of nodded at her, her short brown hair bobbing a little.

"Has anyone _actually_ seen him, then?" Allegra smirked, not bothering to look. Ginny nodded.

"Hayley has, he's in her History class." The girl - apparently Hayley, a pale girl with long curly blonde hair and very distinctive huge blue eyes nodded and turned around to look for him. "His name's Ethan. He's got sandy coloured hair." A few of the girls let out a noise closely related to a swoon.

"He's in your year, then?" Ginny swished her head around and nodded excitedly.

No one should ever give Ginny Weasley a new toy.

"We're hoping he's going to be in our Potions class first thing tomorrow."

The next morning at breakfast the subject of the new boy was still ongoing. Ginny and her five friends had surrounded Allegra when she'd come down alone, and were continuing to gossip. Allegra was knackered, she felt like putting her head down on the breakfast table and going back to sleep, but as she actually considered doing so someone elbowed her and Hayley whispered, "that's him!"

Allegra opened her eyes to see Ethan walking into the Great Hall towards the Ravenclaw table. She'd managed to pin point him simply because he was the only sandy-blonde male entering the room. He was, admittedly, very attractive. He had long dark lashes above dark brown eyes and by the looks of the smile he was putting on, perfect white teeth. He wasn't particularly muscular, but he had broad shoulders that almost made him lanky. He was a bit on the short side at about five-nine.

"Blondes aren't really my thing," Ginny said, almost dismissing him where her friends were swooning. "He's good looking; I'll give him that, but not really my thing. What do you think?"

Allegra shrugged and looked at Ginny instead.

"He's alright. A bit short, maybe, and a Ravenclaw ... but I do have a soft spot for the occasional blonde with good hair."

"I know." Ginny smirked and Allegra frowned. She hadn't been out with any blondes, as far as she could recall.

"Have you seen Draco around?" Allegra asked Blaise, passing him on her way out of the library.

"Don't tell me you were looking for him in there, there's _no way_ he'd be in there." Allegra shrugged and waved a book she'd just borrowed in front of him.

"I only did because I needed this, and I've looked everywhere else."

" _Everywhere_?"

"You know what I mean." Allegra rolled her eyes. Blaise nodded and sighed.

"No, I haven't seen him ..." Blaise paused a moment in thought. "But I'll tell him you called." He smiled and winked.

"Thanks, I'll catch up with you as well, later."

Blaise nodded and disappeared into the library.

Draco had been nowhere to be seen as soon as lessons were over, which was making it more than difficult to find him. If he hadn't asked her to find him after Potions that evening she would have worried he was avoiding her. Instead she frowned and walked to the common room to put her book away before heading down to dinner.

As soon as she entered the common room she was intercepted by a fourth year boy called Luke, who she knew of fairly well, because he had the reputation of being the ladies man of his year group. She remembered him as a short and thin boy with wispy black hair and hazel eyes. He would have reminded her of a young Blaise if not for the fact that Blaise preferred to be quiet and moody in public whereas Luke was loud, friendly and confident.

But now Allegra had to look up at Luke as he stepped in front of her so suddenly that she almost head butted his chest, and only recognised him because his face was exactly the same and was also obviously lanky.

"Luke, hi," she smiled lightly and moved to step around him, but he just stepped back into her path.

"Allegra, looking even more beautiful than last year," he grinned and Allegra felt a flood of jealousy as she became the envy of every fourth year girl in the room.

"Thanks," Allegra said shortly and moved around him again.

"I heard you're the new quidditch captain," he said as she walked past.

"That's what the badge says," she nodded, glancing up at him.

"So you're pretty good at quidditch, huh?" he glanced around the room smiling, as though signaling something.

"I hope so." Allegra shrugged and stepped towards the girls' stairs.

"Want to ride _my_ broomstick?" Allegra could hear the suggestive tone in his voice, stopping her in her tracks to look back at him in disbelief. He was grinning with his hands on his hips, as if to make himself broader and more manly. He nodded with a smirk, and winked.

" _Excuse_ me?"

Luke's friends snickered and one of them whispered "I think she's gunna hit 'im!"

"You heard."

Allegra raised an eyebrow for a moment. _Unbelievable_. She scoffed and went up to her dorm room.

She eventually managed to catch Draco when she practically tackled to him to the floor after dinner a few days later.

"Where have you been?" she asked as soon as they were both upright.

"Around," he replied blankly and looked away.

Allegra frowned and after a second said, "... are we okay?"

He looked at her with a look of defiance and then it fell, showing guilt in the corners of his mouth and in his icy blue eyes. He nodded and looked down at his feet, as though ashamed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his hair and it sprang back messily. "I've just been a bit busy." Allegra nodded; it was always difficult to get back into school after a long summer.

"It's okay, just would be nice if you were somewhere to be found when you ask me to find you."

"I know, I'm sorry." Allegra smiled and he returned it.

"Can owls get to your common room, or dorm room?"

"Common room, there's a couple of windows above ground, why?"

"Because at least then we could owl each other at night, if I don't get to see you apart from in lessons. It's weird going from having you living in my house and with me all the time to not seeing you at all." Draco nodded.

"I know, me too." His eyes lingered on her for a second longer than comfortable. "Just don't write anything about your fantasies about me, who knows who will get it first." He grinned.

"Oh no, it's alright, Midnight will mutate anyone's hand if they try to touch her, unless it's you or Blaise, of course."

"Well, in that case, fantasize away." He looked like he liked that idea. "And I promise I will designate you time."

"Yeah, well you better. I'm not keen on this whole, not seeing each other, thing."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I'll see you later," Blaise winked as he left Allegra at the quidditch pitch. He had just helped her set up for Saturday afternoon quidditch tryouts and Allegra expected people to be turning up any minute.

Of course, Ron, Ginny and Harry had to come to "officially" get re-instated with their positions, but she hoped they would help run it more than anything. Harry and Ron arrived at almost the same time as everyone else, as well as Hermione, who was looking a little distant. Allegra glanced at her and at the quidditch-team-potentials, trying to decide if she should go and talk to Hermione first.

She gave herself a brisk talking to about her captaincy and turned towards the crowd, largely dominated by males. The crowd took a little of Allegra's confidence away, she didn't enjoy public speaking, and it seemed as though most of Gryffindor had shown up. Allegra hoped it was because she was less threatening than Angelina and Oliver (she _was_ smaller than them) and not because they expected it to be a breeze to get in.

"Alright, everyone!" The group fell quiet after only a few seconds. "Okay, er, I think it's best if we divide into groups, so ... all the seekers over there -" she pointed to a corner of the pitch closest to the path towards the castle. "Keepers over there -" she pointed at the opposite corner, "beaters near the changing rooms and Chasers stay here." Allegra smiled as everyone did as told, apart from a few young students who looked panicked and a huge seventh year who was strutting towards her.

"Cormac, McLaggen, Keeper." Allegra smiled politely despite the growing urge to roll her eyes dramatically.

"Nice to see you again, Cormac." Cormac's chest seemed to inflate and she realised he had taken that as a personal compliment. "You didn't try out last year, did you?"

"I was in the hospital wing when they held the trials, ate a pound of doxy eggs for a bet."

"Impressive," Allegra lied.

"Thanks," he replied with his deep rumble.

"Now, if you just go and wait with the other keepers -" Allegra saw a flicker of annoyance in Cormac's expression, as though he had expected preferential treatment, "- I'll come and see you in a minute." He seemed to brighten considerably at this, taking it as a directly personal statement, and sauntered off towards Ron and a group around him.

Allegra turned to look at the group of chasers in front of her; Ginny was at the back grinning and talking to a few boys around her.

"Alright, Chasers!" They all turned to pay attention. "We'll start by getting everyone up in the air flying and warming up, seeing how you handle yourselves, then we'll do some drills to see how you handle your agility and speed, as well as catching and throwing." They all got up in the air and it took far longer to test the players than she had expected and she found that quite a lot of people were just there to piss around. After a brief but deadly shouting session from Allegra, the group began to behave.

Eventually, she found her chasers. They weren't quite the same as Angelina and Alicia, but they would get there. She had chosen a girl she hadn't spoken to before - Demelza Robins, who had surprised her with being exceptionally agile around bludgers, and Ginny, who seemed to have really benefited from her practice over the summer. She had outflown the competition; shown that she can take advice and worked hard.

In previous years the captains had told everyone the team at the trials, but they always had to deal with moaning and disappointment. Allegra was instead going to post a list on the common room notice board later in the coming days.

Choosing a seeker was a simple process, everyone watching could see Harry outshone the rest.

The beaters were a little more difficult as it was all about aim and strength and the bludger always acted differently. In the end she had decided on a third year called Jimmy Peakes who had the height for his age but his chest much broader. What he lacked in aim he more than made up for with his defensive skills. The other was Richie Coote, who didn't have the muscle but aimed better than all the others put together.

She deliberately left the keepers to last, as Harry had suggested, in hope that the stadium would be less crowded and have less pressure on all the players, and specifically, Ron. Allegra had been in two minds, because a noisy stadium would emulate the pressure of a game best, but in the end McLaggen scared her and she left them. The first lot were average players, saving two goals each out of five - her and Ginny sending them.

They tried to keep the same difficulty without being predictable. Cormac saved four out of five of his, as Allegra had expected: he had to have some skill to go with that ego.

As Ron mounted his broom, looking a slight sickly green colour, Allegra heard someone shout good luck from the stands. She turned her head quickly, expecting to see Hermione, but instead it was Lavender. Allegra looked up in confusion. Hermione was glowering at her roommate.

Allegra turned back to the task at hand and watched as Ron saved all five. She needn't have been worried after all. Everyone left after she'd told them to keep an eye out for a list on the noticeboard.

"You flew really well -"

"You did brilliantly, Ron!" This time Allegra was relieved to see that it really was Hermione running towards the three of them. Allegra glanced behind her to see Lavender arm in arm with Pavarti, looking grumpy. Great, the last thing they needed was a dorm room war. After a few minutes of chatting, they helped Allegra pack up the equipment and they all went inside.

"No, I can't just tell you. Just wait till tomorrow lunch time; I swear the list will be up by then." Allegra sighed, trying her best to refrain from losing her temper at the younger students who repeatedly asked her whether they'd gotten on the quidditch team or not.

She huffed and walked into the common room. Only a few hours and dinner had passed between the trials and now, but still some people's impatience shocked her. She found Ron, Harry and Hermione in their usual spot by the fire and slumped down in the spot next to Hermione.

"Or herself," she said irritably in the boys direction. "It might have been a girl, I think the handwriting looks more like a girl's than a boy's."

"What are you talking about?" Allegra asked. Her question was ignored, as Harry was already looking annoyed.

"The Half-Blood _Prince_ , he was called," he said obviously, "how many princes do you know that are girls?"

Hermione just turned to Allegra and blatantly ignored the fact that Harry had just proved her wrong.

"How's Draco?"

"Alright, actually spent some time with me this evening. How's the essay coming along?" she asked, eyeing the parchment in her lap, glancing up at Ron once who was concentrating very hard on reading it upside-down. Her writing was hard enough to read normally due to her elegant script, but upside-down it was almost impossible. She pulled it back towards her so he wouldn't have a chance.

"It's five to eight, I'd better go," Harry sighed, putting his homework aside and getting up out of his seat.

"Ohhh!" Hermione gasped excitedly, "good luck! We'll wait up; we want to hear about what he teaches you!"

"Yeah, have fun, and if you remember could you ask him about what's happening with my lessons this year?" Allegra asked. "Don't worry if you don't."

Harry nodded and left the common room. Hermione and Ron went back to doing their Herbology homework while Allegra picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet and flicked through.

"So ... Allegra ... what _is_ the password to _your_ portrait?"

"It involves expensive gifts, extreme good looks and more charm than that chat-up line." Allegra looked up at Luke with a smirk, and he was mirroring the expression. He seemed to find using chat-up lines on her extremely entertaining. So did his group of friends.

"Remind me of that when it's Christmas." He laughed and strutted off to the boys' stairs.

"What was that about?" Allegra turned around to see Hermione and Ron both looking at her suspiciously.

"I'm not sure. I think Luke has decided I'm the most fun person for all his chat-up lines." Allegra shrugged and went back to her newspaper. Hermione did not look as amused as Ron.

"Haha, that was pretty good ..."

"Ron!" Hermione hit his arm and glared at him playfully.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Allegra looked up from her Potions homework to see Ethan, the new Ravenclaw boy in the year below with his hand on the chair opposite.

She shook her head. "No, go ahead."

"Thanks." Ethan had a very light and soothing voice, it wasn't high it just weightless. Ethan sat down gracefully and started sorting himself out as Allegra worked on her questions quietly. "So ..." he started and she glanced up to look at him. "I think you're in the year above me?"

"Yeah, sixth year."

"Gryffindor?"

She nodded again.

"I hope you don't mind, but I recognised you from the newspapers this summer."

Allegra smiled.

"It doesn't surprise me. They managed to take a lot of crappy pictures of me that night." He laughed a little too loud for the library. "They could have waited, I'd been having a shit time they could have at least given me some make-up."

"Yeah, I bet that was a nasty surprise."

"The worst thing about it is that they haven't come to me for a new picture. In any follow up articles they're still using the damn picture!"

He laughed again, still ignoring the fact that the library was usually a hushed place.

"Was everything they wrote true?"

Allegra shrugged. "No idea, I haven't read much of it. Some of it's a bit ridiculous."

"It is." He agreed.

"So where did you come from?"

"Durmstrang," he answered simply, and then elaborated. "My dad died when I was two, and a few years later my mother remarried a Bulgarian man, so we lived with him and she had my sisters with him. Last year they got divorced - mum had been saying how much she hated the place, so we moved back to Manchester."

"How old are your sisters?"

"Eleven and eight," he stuck his tongue out playfully in distaste, "I love them but they are at a really irritating age." He grinned at her for a second and then he looked above her.

A hand fell onto Allegra's shoulder and it made her start. Allegra looked up and Draco looked down and mumbled, "Sorry," under his breath.

"Hey, I've got some spare time, do you want to hang out for a bit?" He said casually. He moved his hand to put it in his pocket and his eyes lingered on Ethan for a moment before looking at Allegra.

"Sure," Allegra nodded. Draco stood dominantly while she gathered her things and put them away into the messenger bag she was using. "Bye, Ethan," Allegra smiled, somewhat sorry.

"See you soon, Allegra." He said, not hindered by Draco's appearance or behaviour.

Allegra walked with Draco out of the library before she turned to look up at him.

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?" he countered, gently putting his hand on the small of her back to guide her towards the stairs before replacing it in his pocket.

"Suddenly appearing and being so ... dominating."

" _Dominating_?" he repeated, a soft laugh in his throat.

"Well, I can't think of another word." She said with a frown. "I didn't even see you in the library. I haven't seen you properly in days, and then suddenly you appear looking all threatening to the new guy."

"I was _not_ looking threatening," he laughed again.

"You were. If I had been him and some big scary Slytherin came over I would have been shaking in my boots." Draco just laughed appreciatively. Allegra started smiling, she hadn't seen him that animated since the summer.

"Well he - like anyone else - obviously didn't think I looked particularly threatening."

"So, what prompted you to suddenly decide to spend time with me, then?"

"I need a reason now?" he guided her again towards the doors to go outside.

"No, it just seems a little odd." He laughed again.

"Sorry, next time I'll send an hours pre-warning message."

Allegra threw her hand at his stomach playfully and he flinched back and out the way with ease.

"I just think you were jealous." Allegra said smugly, walking towards one of the free stone benches in the courtyard.

" _Jealous_?" he repeated, the same mocking tone as before. "Ali, do you know the meaning of jealous?"

"Yes." She replied reproachfully, taking a seat on the stone that had warmed comfortably in the sun.

"No, jealous generally means you are envious or angry that someone has got something you haven't. I have you right now, so what's there to be jealous of?"

Allegra scoffed and put her bag down.

"You didn't though, I was talking to Ethan and you didn't like it."

"Allegra, I don't have a problem with you talking to him."

"You felt threatened - as the Alpha male in my life -" Draco burst out laughing, "- you were jealous." Allegra poked her nose in the air and stalked off towards the balcony overlooking the lake on the other side of the courtyard.

Draco carried on laughing as he picked up her bag and followed her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

School work for most of the sixth years was painfully hard. Allegra was definitely in that majority, however, not when it came to non-verbal spells. Non-verbal spells had become expected in all spell casting classes, which did give her somewhat of an advantage above the other students. Luckily, none of them seemed to suspect a thing, they just thought she was really good at them. Which wasn't a lie.

Unfortunately, the easy streak was literally just for that - spells. Most written work was killer. Allegra was over the moon at the ease of Care of Magical Creatures and the lack of any hard written work for the subject. It was mostly memorising facts and writing reports. Having Blaise there made the lessons fun, and James the misfit Ravenclaw was a really nice guy. Not to mention that Allegra was the teacher's pet.

Potions hadn't gotten any easier, but the good news was that Allegra was keeping up. Potions had suddenly become Harry's best subject, all due to the Half-Blood Prince's book. Hermione still didn't like it, mainly because it meant he was better at it than her. Slughorn had decided to assign her his desk for N.E.W.T lessons for the rest of the year, and he had even found an armchair and placed it in one corner of the room so that he could sit there instead.

The quidditch list on the noticeboard idea had been one of the best she'd ever had. After most of the people who didn't get on the team saw it, they simply didn't bother Allegra. There were a few who were willing to argue their case, but she simply told them that she was captain and had the decision and to try again next year.

Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves feeling particularly guilty for not seeing Hagrid since the start of term. Allegra found it fun to remind them of what good friends her and Hagrid were now, and how disappointed he was in them and that Aaron and Blaise were now his two favourite boys. On the rare occasions that he did come to dinner, he would only wave at Allegra, and was very good at failing to notice if she was with the other three.

"We've got to go and explain," Hermione said whilst eyeing Hagrid's huge empty seat at the staff table one Saturday at breakfast.

"We said we'd do our work this morning!" Ron exclaimed, clearly stressing about the two huge homework projects that McGonagall and Snape had set. "You said you wanted to practice that _Augamenti_ charm for Flitwick! We've got quidditch practice this afternoon! Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hated his subject?"

"We didn't hate it!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the skrewts," Ron said darkly. "And I'm telling you now, we've had a narrow escape - we'd have been teaching Grawp how to tie his shoelaces if we'd stayed."

"Actually, we've been playing with Buckbe - er, Witherwings, and trying to observe the unicorn behaviour in the Forbidden Forest," Allegra said with a hint of smugness.

"Shut up, you." Ron said with a glare.

"I hate not talking to Hagrid," Hermione said, looking upset.

"We'll go after quidditch practice," Harry assured her. Allegra felt rather good about herself, for once she didn't have to feel guilty.

"Lots of people have said they are coming to watch," Allegra said suspiciously, "I wonder why quidditch has gotten so popular all of a sudden?"

"Oh, come on, Allegra," Hermione said, as if she was missing something completely obvious. "It's not quidditch that's popular, it's the players!" Allegra looked at her blank-faced, so she embellished. "You and Harry are two of the most interesting people in the school right now, and what would young girls rather do than watch one of the most fanciable boys in school get all hot and sweaty." Ron choked on his toast. "Everyone has heard or read the rumors about what happened to you, Ali, and everyone's dying to work out what it is that Voldemort knows about you and Harry. Plus, everyone knows Harry was telling the truth now, don't they? The whole wizarding world has had to admit that you were right about Voldemort being back and that you really have fought him twice in the last years and escaped both times."

"Merlin, Hermione, breathe." Allegra laughed, but Hermione just smiled and carried on.

"And Allegra is not only proof of that, but she survived being kept in his possession and now everyone knows he wants to have her back, and they want to know why. _And_ , now they're calling Harry the "Chosen One" - well, can't you see why people are fascinated by the two of you?"

Allegra and Harry looked at each other, apparently both having the same odd feeling that they were being watched. At least that explained the large numbers of bad players at quidditch trials. Luckily for the two of them, the owls arrived to move the conversation along.

Two letters arrived for Allegra, she didn't open them, she could see by the handwriting on the front that they were from Charlie and her dad. Midnight had been quite disgruntled to see that Allegra had finished her breakfast, but hopped across to Ron's plate to finish his kippers and crusts. Luckily he didn't seem to mind. Hedwig swooped down to land on Harry's plate with a parcel in her grasp. Midnight greeted her with a quiet hoot and after Hedwig had replied she hopped across to the next plate, the owner of which didn't seem to mind, either. Pig then proceeded to crash down in front of Ron with an identical parcel, looking utterly exhausted after carrying something that probably weighed the same as him.

"Ha!" Harry unwrapped the parcel to reveal a new copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ , fresh from Flourish and Blotts.

"Oh good," Hermione said, "now you can give the graffitied copy back."

Harry scoffed, "no way, I'm not giving this back." He pulled the old copy out of his bag and tapped the cover with his wand, muttering, " _deffindo!_ " The cover fell off. He did the same thing with the brand new book and swapped the covers. He then tapped each and said _"_ _reparo_!" They honestly could not tell the difference, unless you specifically looked a the edges of the pages there was no hint to say that the dirty old cover had brand new contents, and vice versa. "I'll give Slughorn the new one. He can't complain, it cost nine galleons."

"That's pretty clever," Allegra smiled in approval. Hermione clearly didn't feel the same way, but was distracted by another owl landing in front of her carrying a copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She unfolded it eagerly and scanned the front page.

"Anyone we know dead?" Ron asked casually and Allegra laughed at his dark humour, but Harry only smiled and Hermione made no reaction.

"I don't think so, but there have been more dementor attacks, and an arrest."

"Anyone good?" Allegra asked as Midnight, Hedwig and Pig all abruptly took flight at the same time.

"Stan Shunpike," she said.

"What?" Harry said, surprised.

"' _Stanley Shunspike, conductor on the popular London Knight Bus, has been arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity. Mr Shunpike, twenty-one, was taken into custody late last night after a raid on his Clapham home ..._ '"

"They're accusing Stan Shunspike of being a Death Eater?" Harry had met him a few years ago. Allegra had never taken a bus, let alone a magical one. From Harry's description it sounded very dangerous and fairly terrifying, and Hermione's description of the muggle's version didn't sound much better. "No way!"

"He might have been put under the Imperius Curse," Ron said reasonably, "you can never tell."

"It doesn't look like it, though." Hermione said, who was still reading and manage to keep track of the conversation. "It says here he was arrested after he was overheard talking about Death Eaters' secret plans in a pub." She looked up with a troubled expression. "If he was under the Imperius Curse, I doubt he'd be able to stand around gossiping about their plans, would he?"

"I don't know," Allegra shrugged, trying to be positive. "We don't know what it's like, other than Moody's demonstration."

"It sounds like he was trying to make out that he knew more than he did," Ron said, playing with a jet black feather Midnight had left behind. "Isn't he the one who claimed he was going to become Minister of Magic when he was trying to chat up those Veela?"

"Yeah, that's him," Harry nodded, "I dunno what they're playing at, taking Stan seriously."

"I guess the more people they arrest the more it looks like they're actually doing something against Voldemort." Allegra grimaced.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "people are terrified, Pavarti and Padma's parents want them to go home. And Eloise Midgeon has already been withdrawn. Her father picked her up last night."

"What! But Hogwarts is far safer than their homes!" Ron exclaimed. "We've got aurors, all those extra protective charms and what-not, and we've got Dumbledore!"

"I don't think we've got him all the time," Hermione said glancing up at the empty Headmaster's chair. "Haven't you noticed? His seat's been empty as often as Hagrid's this past week."

"Maybe they're eating together these days," Allegra smiled. Hermione didn't think her comment was even worth a glance.

"I think he's left the school to do something, with the Order," Hermione continued at a whisper. "I mean ... it's all looking serious, isn't it?" They all glanced at each other with a horrible twisting feeling in the pit of their stomachs. The day before Hannah Abbott had been pulled out of their Herbology class to be told her mother had been found dead. No one had seen Hannah since.

When quidditch practice was over they all walked down to Hagrid's as agreed. Buckbeak was tethered in front of Hagrid's cabin, as he had been in Allegra's past few COMC classes. He clicked his beak as he always did on Allegra's approach, and she smiled and moved towards him.

"Oh dear," Hermione said nervously. "He's still a bit scary, isn't he?"

"Come off it, you've ridden him, haven't you?" Ron said to her as Allegra bowed down to the Hippogriff. He immediately bowed down a little, nudged her with his head gently and then jumped up in the air and flapped his wings twice playfully. Despite what Ron had just said, he still recoiled a few paces.

"Silly boy, aren't you?" Allegra laughed affectionately, scratching under his chin. Harry was the next to move forward and bowed low without breaking eye contact or blinking. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a bow too.

"How are you?" Harry asked him, moving towards Allegra to stroke his feathery head. "Missing him? But you're okay here with Hagrid, aren't you?"

"Oi!" Hagrid came striding around the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. Fang, his enormous boarhound, was bounding along at his heels.

"Git away from him! He'll have yer fingers - oh. It's yeh lot." Hagrid stood and looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione, without noticing Allegra at the back talking to Buckbeak. Hagrid took one look at them and walked into his cabin - slamming the door closed behind him. Once they moved far enough away from Buckbeak, Fang ran over and started slobbering all over Allegra's jeans.

"He's even more pissed at you three than I thought," Allegra said.

"Oh dear!" Hermione cried, her eyes lingering on his door.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said grimly, and they followed him as he walked up to the door and knocked loudly. "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!"

There was no sound from within.

"If you don't open the door, we'll blast it open!" Harry said pulling out his wand.

"Come on, Hagrid," Allegra shouted through the door, "if you don't open it, I'm stealing Fang!" Harry raised his want but before he could do anything the door swung open revealing an angry looking Hagrid.

"I'm a teacher!" He roared at Harry. "A teacher, Potter! How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door!"

"I'm sorry, _sir_ ," Harry said, looking a little sour. Hagrid looked stunned.

"Since when have yeh called me 'sir'?"

"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"

"Oh, very clever," Hagrid growled. "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ', come on in then, yeh ungrateful little ..." Hagrid mumbled darkly as he stood back to let the teenagers inside. "Alrigh', Allegra?" He mumbled as she passed.

Hagrid sat down grumpily as Harry, Hermione and Ron took a seat at the large wooden table and Allegra sat down in a huge armchair that she usually claimed - they tended to do their written work in Hagrid's living room. "Well? What's this? Feelin' sorry for me? Reckon I'm lonely or summat?"

"No," Harry said at once. "We wanted to see you."

"We've missed you!" Hermione blurted out.

"Missed me, have yeh?" Hagrid snorted. "Yeh, righ'." He got up and stomped around, brewing tea and muttering.

"Hagrid, we really wanted to carry on with Care of Magical Creatures, you know." Hagrid snorted again. "We did! But only Allegra could fit it into her timetable."

"Yeh, righ'."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all suddenly noticed a large barrel of giant grubs in the opposite corner of the room. Another benefit of Allegra's armchair was that it was the furthest from the barrel.

"What are they, Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"Jus' giant grubs," Hagrid dismissed.

"And they grow into ...?" Ron prompted, looking apprehensive.

"They won' grow inter nuthin', I got 'em to feed Aragog." Suddenly, without warning, he burst into tears.

"Hagrid!" Hermione cried, leaping up and hurrying around the table to comfort him, despite the close proximity to the grubs. "What's the matter?"

"It's ... him ..." he mopped his pink face with his apron. "It's ... Aragog ... I think he's dyin' ... he got ill over the summer an' he's not gettin' any better ... I don' know what I'll do if he ... if he ... we've been tergether so long ..." Everyone looked at a complete loss of what to say. Aragog was a giant spider that despite being Hagrid's best friend, had no issues in letting his friends and family eat Hagrid's friends.

"Oh no, Hagrid," Allegra said after a brief and awkward silence, Hagrid was still sobbing and hadn't seemed to notice. "You should have told us before."

"Is there - is there anything we can do?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron's frantic head shaking.

"I don't think there is, Hermione," Hagrid choked and Ron looked somewhat relieved. "See, the rest o' the tribe ... Aragog's family ... they're gettin' a bit funny now he's ill ... bit restive ..."

"Yeah, I think we saw a bit of that side to them," Ron said in an undertone, glancing at Allegra and Harry.

"... I don' reckon it'd be safe fer anyone but me ter go near the colony at the mo," Hagrid finished, wiping his face on his apron and looking up. "But thanks fer offerin', Hermione ... it means a lot ..."

After Hagrid had gotten his worries off his chest, Hagrid seemed a lot friendlier towards Allegra's three friends, and everything about them having not taken his N.E.W.T class was forgotten.

"I always knew you'd find it hard ter squeeze me into your timetables," Hagrid admitted. "Even if yeh applied fer Time-Turners -"

"We couldn't have done," Hermione told him. "We smashed the entire stock of Ministry Time-Turners when we were there in the summer. It was in the _Daily Prophet_."

"Ar, well then, there's no way you'd 'ave done it ... I'm sorry I've been - yeh know - a bit difficult. I've just been so worried abou' Aragog, and when I saw Allegra 'ad managed to come, I just felt like you three hadn't been bothered."

By the time everyone had finished talking and catching up; Hagrid was back at the point of waving them all off cheerily.

"I think that was fairly successful," Allegra mused as the four of them made their way up towards the castle in the darkening dusk.

"Me too, I was a bit worried to start with that he wouldn't understand." Hermione agreed, linking arms with Allegra.

"I'm starving," Harry thought out loud and glanced at the clock that was rising up above them.

"Didn't fancy much of Hagrid's rock cakes, then?" Allegra scoffed, thinking of the cake she'd given Fang to chew on. "He tries to pass them off on us in our lessons."

"I tried one for a while, but once I heard an unhealthy crack at the back of my mouth I decided it was time to give up," Harry smiled.

"I gave mine to Fang -"

"Hey, me too!" Ron laughed.

"And I won't have much time for dinner; I've got that detention with Snape tonight."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The glow from the Hall pulled them in, and as they entered they were hit with a waft of roast beef, potatoes and rich gravy. Allegra had her eyes locked onto an empty space near the top of the table when suddenly it was intercepted by a large tartan suit.

"Harry, Allegra, just the two people I was looking for," Professor Slughorn had stepped into their path, and Allegra's stomach growled at him. "I was hoping to catch you both before dinner! What do you say to a spot of supper in my rooms instead? We're having a little party, just a few rising stars. I've got McLaggen coming, and Zambini, the charming Melinda Bobbin - I don't think you know her? Her family owns a large chain of apothecaries - and, of course, I hope very much that Miss Granger will favour me by coming, too." Slughorn made a little bow as he finished speaking. It was as though Ron had become invisible; Slughorn didn't spare him a glance.

"I can't come, Professor," Harry said quickly, not doing a very good job of sounding regretful. "I've got detention with Professor Snape."

"Oh dear!" Slughorn exclaimed, his face falling. "Dear, dear, I was counting on you, I'm sure I'll be able to persuade him to postpone your detention. Yes, I'll see you three later!" He bustled away out of the hall.

"He's got no chance," Harry said as soon as Slughorn was behind him. "This detention's already been postponed once; Snape did it for Dumbledore, but he won't do it for anyone else."

Allegra pulled a face at Hermione and she mirrored it.

"I was really looking forward to the roast beef," Allegra sighed.

"I guess it will be just the two of us, then," Hermione grimaced, probably imagining her first cozy encounter with Slughorn. She was lucky to have missed the first.

"I doubt it," Ron snapped, "he'll have invited Ginny, too, and he said Blaise was going so I don't think you'll be at loss for friends."

They all took a seat in the spot that Allegra had been eyeing earlier, and Allegra started on a small sample of the food available anyway, it was either that or her stomach would start eating itself. Hermione picked up a new copy of the _Evening Prophet_ someone had left on the table and opened it up.

"Anything new?" Harry asked.

"Not really ..." Hermione said, scanning the inside pages for anything of interest. "Oh look, your dad's in here, Ron - nothing's happened to him!" She added quickly, as Ron had looked around in alarm. "It just says that he's been round to the Malfoy's house." Allegra looked up from her food. "' _This second search of the Death Eater_ _'_ _s residence does not seem to have yielded any results. Arthur Weasley of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects said that his team had been acting upon a confidential tip-off_.'"

"Yeah, mine!" Harry said. "I told him at King's Cross about Malfoy and that thing he was trying to get Borgin to fix! Well, if it's not at their house, he must have brought it to Hogwarts with him -"

"You did what?" Allegra dropped her cutlery and it clattered angrily onto her plate. Ron's face lost all expression as he realised that Allegra was not at all pleased. "What did you do that for?" She snapped. "Don't you think Draco has enough trouble as it is? And now he's got to deal with people poking around his house - that he doesn't even want to be at - and the newspapers broadcasting the fact that his dad's a Death Eater!"

"Ali, calm down," Hermione said quietly.

"Why? I know you don't get along, and I'm not asking you to, you can hate each other as much as you like, but you could at least tell me when you do something like this!"

Harry's cheeks had flushed, and he didn't look pleased.

"So you're telling me you'd rather not know if he's doing something suspicious with Voldemort, than find out if he's betraying you!?"

"Guys, please," Hermione pleaded.

"No, but I would have liked some discretion! Maybe at least ask me to see if I can find anything out first!"

"I did!" Harry insisted loudly, "I did! I asked you to check for a dark mark but you didn't bother! If he's doing something then all this is for your protection as well as everyone else's."

"What was I meant to do, start trying to get him to take his clothes off? It doesn't matter anyway because they didn't even find anything, not of his dad's and not of Draco's either, so for all we know he could be innocent." Allegra crossed her arms stubbornly and glanced at the door.

"He may have brought something here, though -"

"How can he have done, Harry?" Hermione said, looking a bit distressed by the argument. "We were all searched when we arrived, weren't we?"

"Were you?" Harry said, taken aback. "I wasn't!"

"Oh no, of course you weren't, I forgot you were late, Filch ran us all over with Secrecy Sensors when we got to the Entrance Hall. Any dark object would have been found, I know for a fact Crabbe had a shrunken head confiscated. So you see, Malfoy can't have brought anything dangerous!" Harry was momentarily silenced, but it didn't last long.

"Someone's sent it to him by owl, then," he said. "His mother or someone."

"Everything's being checked, Harry. Filch was poking his Secrecy Sensors everywhere he could reach."

"And I got loads of stuff confiscated from my trunk that I got from Fred and George's shop," Allegra added sadly.

Harry glanced at Ron for help, but he had his arms crossed and was gazing towards Lavender.

"Can you think of any way Malfoy -?"

"Oh, drop it, Harry." Ron said.

Allegra smiled to herself. Ron usually sided with Harry on boyish issues, but she could always count on him backing them up when he was being ridiculous.

"Listen, it's not my fault Slughorn's invited us but not you to his stupid party, we don't want to go, you know." Harry said, firing up at Ron.

"Well, since I'm not invited to any parties," Ron said getting to his feet, "I'm going to bed."

"I'll walk you out." Allegra stood up. "Come on, Hermione; let's go to this shitty thing."

Allegra and Ron strode out of the hall, Hermione trotting along behind to catch up.

"What's up with you?" Blaise mumbled as Slughorn was telling a great long tale.

"Harry and I had an argument." Allegra told him with a clenched jaw. She could see the smirk on his face, but he managed to control himself before Allegra had a chance to turn on him.

"What about?" He smiled at Slughorn and bit into a slice of lemon cake.

"Stuff." She said grumpily. She skipped on the smile and went right ahead with the cake.

Blaise snickered under his breath.

"Let me guess, he's having a problem with you and Draco?" Allegra didn't bother to reply, she just sat there looking thoroughly pissed off. "I can't say it's not old news. It just makes me wonder what's made it worse suddenly?"

"Please drop it, Blaise." She warned.

Blaise shrugged, deciding not to push his luck. "Whatever you say."

A couple of days later Allegra was sitting in Transfiguration when her daydreaming was interrupted by McGonagall's high pitched tones.

"Miss Boone, I dare say you may have accomplished the task already, but I would appreciate it if you would find something useful to do, maybe help your fellow students." She hadn't sounded as irritated as the sentence suggested, but Allegra blinked her way out of her daze anyway. Allegra looked to her left at Hermione, who was going pink in the face trying to transfigure a rat into a lamp and back again non-verbally. She wasn't doing too badly with getting it to change shape, but it just didn't quite make it to a lamp, it was always furry and squeaking.

Hermione glared at Allegra as though she was going to suggest something, even though she wouldn't have dared. Apart from anything, she didn't have any advice to give; the thing had simply changed and changed back when she'd looked at it.

"I think we'll finish there, class. Homework for next lesson is to practice the transfigurations on the sheet I've handed out, all common items. See you on Friday."

The students packed up to leave. Hermione seemed to be in a bad mood. Harry was doing better than her in Potions - all because of a book he shouldn't have had, and Allegra was doing significantly better than her in the practical part of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Transfiguration - all because of a natural gift that Hermione considered an unfair advantage.

As they filed towards the door, McGonagall called Allegra back.

"Allegra, if I could have a word, please." She stepped back into the classroom after smiling quickly at Harry when he said they'd wait outside. Allegra thought it was a little unusual that she hadn't told her off during the lesson, but she guessed she was going to do it now. "Apparently you are not finding N.E.W.T level Transfiguration particularly difficult, Allegra."

"Only the practical, Professor."

Professor McGonagall smiled crookedly, there weren't many people - if any - who were better at practical than theory at this stage.

"Professor Dumbledore and I expressed a lot of interest in you at the beginning of this school year, we were interested to see how you would cope integrating your Mentalist ability in with your school work, but you seem to be having no problems at all. Is it under your control all of the time now?"

Allegra nodded, "unless I'm really upset, angry or tired, then sometimes I slip."

"I assume you have been expecting lessons with Dumbledore?"

"He did mention it at the end of last year."

McGonagall picked her glasses up off the desk she was leaning on and put them on absently.

"We have discussed this together since the beginning of term, and we believe you are not in need of them, what with your normal lessons exercising the ability and the obvious control you now have over it."

"Oh," Allegra nodded, trying not to look disappointed but her voice gave her away.

"However," McGonagall went on, her expression unwavering. "We both agreed that you need to be challenged further than your current lessons. Therefore, we would like to offer you a chance to train to be an Animagi."

Allegra looked at her, lost for words.

"You have the power and ability to be able to become one," McGonagall continued. "The training is often dangerous, long and hard, but we believe with your natural ability you will be able to master it."

"Well, I think if you're willing to teach me, then I've got to give it a go."

"That's pretty scary stuff," Ron smiled, "d'you reckon you'll be able to do it?"

Allegra shrugged, "I don't know. She seemed pretty confident."

"And you have been finding all our lessons easy." He added.

"I'm just worried I'll mess it up, you know what can happen." Allegra made her eyes wide for effect.

"Yeah, what did Harry say?" He glanced at her before looking ahead to weave his way through the younger pupils towards the quidditch pitch.

"Not a lot, to be honest. He's still in a mood from Saturday, I think."

"Oh," Ron sounded annoyed, "I really wish you wouldn't fight over those Slytherins, it puts me in a bloody awkward position."

"I know, but Hermione thinks it's because when you stormed off, we all did. It wasn't really fair on him." Ron nodded and tucked his broom under his arm.

"What about Hermione, what did she say?"

"She got excited, started wondering what animal I'll be and rushed off to the library to get some books for us to look in."

Ron snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like 'Mione."

"I just hope they're pop-up." Ron laughed as they stepped outside into the cool early October air.

"What's your Patronus? They say they're likely to be the same."

"A Phoenix, but -"

"Oh yeah! That would be awesome, I've only heard of a few people with a magical Animagus form."

"- I don't think I'll get that."

"Why?" Ron said, sounding surprised.

"I don't know, I just don't think I'm Phoenix material." They walked into the changing rooms where voices were coming from within.

"Why?" Ron repeated, too focused to realise where he was going.

"Ron, you're in the girls changing rooms."

"Bugger!" He jumped backwards and disappeared quickly onto the other side of the wall. Allegra laughed and went to change.

"Okay then," Allegra nodded and wiggled to be more comfortable on her bed. "Tell me what you've found." Hermione had made it her mission to find out as much about Animagi as she could. Judging by the sheer amount of books on the desk they shared, and the fact she was wearing her 'successful' grin, she'd found out a lot.

"Okay," she grabbed a notepad where she'd jotted down summaries of information she'd read. "It looks like you'll be in this for the long run." Allegra raised an eyebrow. "Apparently it can take anything between three and seven years, and some people don't manage it then." Allegra nodded, she knew that. She imagined they'd probably have to give up at the end of seventh year as McGonagall would have no way of teaching her anymore. "I've marked some good passages in those books over there for you to read. Seeing as you've finished all your homework ..." Hermione tried to get away with it by smiling innocently, but Allegra still made an exhuasted-already expression. "They're not even that long! I've used a highlighter charm on the good bits too, so you can practically skip most of it."

"Alright," Allegra sighed and levitated the first book towards her. "But you're not allowed to leave until I'm done. Unless it's to get me something like ... chocolate." Allegra smiled.

Hermione pulled a book off her bedside table and started to read. Allegra opened the book on the marker and began scanning through the highlighted information, already feeling the neck cramp coming back from doing her homework earlier.

 _ANIMAGI_

 _An Animagus (pl. Animagi) is a witch or wizard who can morph themselves into a specific animal at will. It is a learned, rather than hereditary skill, unlike those of a Metamophmagus (see Chapter 11, Metamophmagus). Animagi can take the same form as the wizard_ _'_ _s patronus, however this is not always the case. The Animagus often takes on a realistic representation of the witch or wizard, whereas a patronus often shows the caster at their best and can change depending on the mood and memories they used to summon the charm. The animal form is not chosen by the wizard, but determined by their personality and inner traits. Thus, one_ _'_ _s Animagus form is a reflection of one_ _'_ _s inner nature. It has been known for some Animagi to take on the form of a magical creature._

 _Most Animagi are registered with the appropriate Ministry, however there are also wizards who do not register themselves, for whatever reason, but this is against the law in most countries._

 _Only very powerful and skilled wizards are able to become an Animagus. The process of becoming an Animagus is long and arduous, and has the potential to backfire and cause the transformation to go horribly wrong. Once the initial training is over, an Animagus can change at will at any time, with or without a wand._

 _Each Animagus bares an identifying mark on their animal form that is caused by something on their human body. This may be a physical trait like dental structure, or an acquired trait such as glasses. For example, a common marking are rings around the eyes marked by spectacles. If an Animagus undergoes a major physical change, such as the loss of a limb, their animal form will also reflect that. Also, an Animagus in animal form will retain the lifespan of a human._

 _In addition, some Animagi will appear to loose their clothing upon morphing. The clothing will often reappear upon re-establishing the human form. What physically happens to the clothing is unknown. Some Animagi do not take the clothing with them through the change, however, which can prove inconvenient._

Allegra glanced up at Hermione, who seemed to be concentrating very hard on the novel in her hands. She gasped, even though the book was warn and the cover had fallen off, and Allegra had seen her reading it a few hundred times before. Allegra put the book to one side, and got the next one to hand.

 _Transfiguration vs. Animagi_

 _The difference between mere transfiguration and the Animagus morphing ability is that a transfigured wizard does not retain the human mental capabilities to think and reason. They instead take on the brainpower of the animal, whereas an Animagus is able to think as a human does. There is a particular spell which creates a blue and white flash that will force an Animagus out of their animal form. This is considered to be the Homorphus Charm, although it is not known if this charm actually works on all Animagi, and is not widely used._

Allegra looked up and found the next book, on the cover was _UK Wizarding Law_ and she sighed. Anything to do with law was usually boring.

 _Animagi Law_

 _Every Animagus is required to register with the appropriate Ministry of Magic at the Improper Use of Magic office. This registration includes revealing one_ _'_ _s animal form and enduring an inspection to find all distinguishing markings. The Register is available to the public._

 _The penalty for failing to register as an Animagus is a sentence in Azkaban, though the length of time varies. Due to the complexity of the magic involved in becoming an Animagus, they aren_ _'_ _t common and it is easy to have an idea of who could be one. It is partially because of this complexity, in addition to the danger involved, that Animagi are required to register themselves. It is also because the Ministries do not want wizards to use it as a means of escape from law enforcement. However, this law has proved difficult to enforce, and only seems effective in stories of blackmail._

Allegra was ready to stop, but the next book on the pile was thin and colourful, so she opened it to the marked page.

 _Learning the Transformation_

 _Becoming an Animagus isn_ _'_ _t easy. It_ _'_ _s hard work. You need skill, aptitude and dedication. In addition, you need to be skilled in the art of casting silently. Those that have moved on to being able to do some magic wandlessly, will also find the process quicker and easier._

 _Many wizards are scared to try the transformation, both because of the danger of the transformation itself and a fear that they will be represented in a way which does not please them. A wizard_ _'_ _s Animagus form reflects their inner-self, and it would be a nasty surprise to find out they were indeed a cockroach._

 _Learning the skill takes years. On average between three to seven, however there are abnormalities that fall either side of this average. It is also hard to gather information on Animagi because there are a lot of unregistered Animagi who do not want to lend information to published content. Some of the first known Animagi were Falco Aesalon: an Ancient Greek who could turn into a falcon, and the witches Morgana Le Fay and Cliodne; who lived in medieval times and were both bird Animagi._

"Okay," Allegra sighed. "I think I know enough now."

"But you've only read a few books!" Hermione exclaimed, before she'd even lifted her eyes from her novel.

"I think I've read all the necessities," she told Hermione calmly, stretching her arms and listening to a satisfying click of a shoulder before letting them collapse into her lap as though the bones had disappeared.

"But you won't know everything unless you read them all!"

"But you've read them all," Allegra reminded her, "do you want me to fix your book for you?"

"What?" she glanced down at the book, "no, I'll just do it later."

"Then I think it's time for me to think about quidditch," Allegra sighed happily, settling down on top of her soft covers. "We've got our first match soon, and that's something we can win."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I don't think he looks like a fifth year," Ginny said, leaning over to whisper to Allegra as they sat in the library.

"Who?" She asked absently, pleased that she was actually getting through her Potions work easily today.

"The new guy," she said in the same whisper, glancing at him as he walked through the library in front of them.

"Ethan," Allegra supplied.

"Yeah, I don't think he looks our age. He looks more like a seventh year." Allegra put her quill down and looked up at Ginny; she was still looking at him suspiciously.

"Gin, I don't know if you've heard, but people develop at different ages."

"I know that!" She said, taking her eyes off Ethan to glare at Allegra. "Don't you just think there's something about him, though?"

"No," she laughed and glanced up to look at him. He looked like he could be anywhere between the age of sixteen and nineteen, like most fifth, sixth and seventh year boys. "I think he looks exactly your age. Maybe he forgot to shave, boys always look older with stubble, d'you think that's what it is?"

"No, Allegra, I don't think that's what it is." Ginny turned back to her work with a frown. Allegra laughed to herself and went back to her own work.

Allegra was feeling very pleased with herself so far, she'd not been able to have Draco to help her in class, and she was even managing to do her Potions work on her own while Harry, Ron and Hermione were in Herbology.

In fact, school as a whole was going pretty well for her. She loved being quidditch captain and this new Mentalist thing was making her life easy in class.

She had had two Animagi lessons with McGonagall so far, and they were torturous. She genuinely regretted agreeing. Magic and biology didn't seem to mix easily, and even though she hadn't worked past the ankle yet, she often had to look down to check her toes hadn't fallen off. It would eventually be worth it, but Allegra was feeling impatient in finding out what her animal was going to be. At least then she would know whether it was worth it or not.

The first quidditch match of the year had gone well, Gryffindor had beaten the Hufflepuff team by a decent gap, and the match had been exciting and fast paced. Hufflepuff weren't usually the feistiest of competitors, but they'd given Gryffindor a good game.

One thing Allegra did find odd was how Draco seemed to just disappear. Dumbledore often did, but he was able to go off campus. But Draco just disappeared for hours; even Blaise didn't seem to have a clue where he was. That or he had become a really good liar, which was also – unfortunately - possible.

When Allegra was worrying about Draco's location, Harry was busy wondering where Dumbledore was. He had told Harry they were going to be having lessons, and he'd had one, but it had been weeks. Allegra never thought that McGonagall would be stricter about having her Animagus lessons than Dumbledore would be with Harry's, but she was. Harry had told Allegra about the lesson he'd had, but he'd found it very difficult to explain exactly what he'd been taught.

Soon enough it was time for a trip to Hogsmeade. The students had become more restricted in what they were able to do, and thus had been feeling pretty cooped up. Last year, students had been allowed free range to go down to Hogsmeade almost every weekend. This time they'd had to wait two months until they were allowed to go.

Only fourth years and above were being given the opportunity to go, and not all were going due to the current circumstances. Dumbledore had sent a note to Harry and Allegra telling them they were only allowed off the grounds if they took their invisibility cloaks with them.

Allegra was feeling especially bright and chirpy on the morning of the trip. She had woken up early to shower and get ready; it was fun to dress for something more than the contents of the common room. Pavarti and Lavender were equally bright eyed, and even Hermione seemed excited. The only downer was the weather. The usually dull but calm mist had been replaced by unpleasant lashing wind and the occasional shower of icy rain. Luckily, Allegra hadn't planned on wearing anything fancy, so she dug out her thick black pea-coat and green hoodie that would hopefully go some way to protecting her against the weather, though she doubted it would save her hair. She found a dark blue pair of skinny jeans and ankle boots with the thickest socks she owned.

At breakfast Ron told them about a spell Harry had accidentally woken Ron up with that morning, and although he apparently hadn't found it funny at the time, now thought it was hilarious.

"... and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" Ron grinned as Allegra giggled at the mental picture. Ron helped himself to even more sausages. Hermione had not cracked a smile during the anecdote, and now turned an expression of cold disapproval on Harry.

"Was this spell, by any chance, another one from that Potions book of yours?"

Harry immediately frowned at her. "You always jump to the worst conclusion, don't you?"

"Was it?"

"Yeah, but _so what_? It didn't do any harm."

"So you just decided to try out an unknown, handwritten incantation to see what would happen? _On your best friend_?"

"Why does it matter if it's handwritten?" Harry asked, obviously sidestepping the most important part of the question.

"Because it's probably not Ministry-approved," Hermione told him. "And also," Harry and Ron rolled their eyes at Allegra, "because I'm starting to think this Prince character is a bit dodgy."

"Hermione, you've always thought that." Allegra said, holding her apple juice centimeters from her mouth.

"It was a laugh!" Ron said in Harry's defense. "A laugh, Hermione, that's all!"

"Dangling people upside-down by the ankle?" Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?"

"Fred and George." Allegra said.

"Yeah, it's there kind of thing, and, uh -"

"My dad." Harry said, a strange look set upon his features as though he'd just remembered.

"What?" Ron said, turning to look at him.

"My dad used this spell, I - Lupin told me."

"Really?" Allegra asked, and Harry nodded. She'd seen a number of people use the spell, or one much like it. Most of them hadn't used it in a playful way.

"Maybe your dad did use it, Harry, but he's not the only one. We've seen a whole bunch of people use it, in case you've forgotten. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless."

They all thought back to the same scene at the Quidditch World Cup in the summer before fourth year, where there was a disgusting display by several Death Eaters.

"That was different," Ron said, coming to Harry's defense again. "They were abusing it. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince, Hermione," he added, waving a large half eaten sausage that was stuck on the end of his fork at her. "Because he's better at Potions than you -"

"It's got nothing to do with that!" Hermione said, a blush rising to her cheeks. Although Allegra expected it had. "I just think it's very irresponsible to start performing spells when you don't even know what they do!"

"Yeah, at least go and practice them on something smaller, first." Allegra said with a coy smile.

"Yeah, like Allegra's Pygmy Puff!" Ron grinned. Allegra's mouth made a small O shape and she glared at him.

"Well," she breathed dramatically, "I'm not defending _you_ anymore!"

"And stop talking about 'the Prince' as if it's his title," Hermione went on. "I bet it's just a stupid nickname some egotistical boy made up for himself, and it doesn't seem like he's a very nice person to me!"

"I don't see where you get that from," Harry said heatedly, "if he'd been a budding Death Eater he wouldn't have been boasting about being half-blood, would he?"

"The Death Eaters can't all be pureblood," Hermione said stubbornly. "I expect most of them are half-bloods pretending to be pure, it's only Muggleborns they hate, they'd be quite happy to let you join up."

"There's no way they'd let me be a Death Eater!" Ron said indignantly, a bit of sausage flying of his fork and hitting Ernie MacMillan on the back of the head.

"Hermione, I don't really think you know how Death Eaters work." Allegra told her.

"My family are blood-traitors! That's as bad as Muggleborns, to Death Eaters!" Ron carried on.

"Oh, and you do?" Hermione said to Allegra angrily.

"Yes, Hermione, after spending a time in a cell at Death Eater capital, I think I have _some_ idea!"

"Oh,yeah, sorry." Hermione said, smiling apologetically.

"They'd let me join, but only because they want me to help them control, kill and torture people for them." Allegra said shortly.

"And they'd love to have me," Harry said sarcastically. "We'd be best pals if they didn't keep trying to bash my head in." Ron burst out laughing, Allegra grinned and Hermione gave a begrudging smile. A distraction from the argument arrived in the form of Ginny.

"Hey, Harry, I'm supposed to give you this." She handed him a scroll of parchment with Harry's name written on it.

"Thanks Ginny ... it's Dumbledore's next lesson!" Harry told them excitedly, pulling open the parchment and eagerly and quickly reading it's contents. "Monday evening!" He had suddenly lit up. "Want to join us in Hogsmeade, Gin?"

"I'm going with Dean - might see you there," she replied, waving as she left.

Filch was standing at the oak front doors, he had the fun job of ticking off the names of everyone who passed through and when they came back to make sure no one went missing. It took even longer than necessary because he insisted on checking everyone out with his Secrecy Sensor, although they couldn't work out for what purpose.

"What does it matter if we're smuggling dark stuff OUT?" Ron demanded. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?" Filch jabbed him with sensor in reply.

The walk down to Hogsmeade was not enjoyable. The cold icy rain was worse than Allegra had thought, and she was thankful for her hood. It was slightly too big for her, and stuck out in front of her like a cap pulled down to cover the top half of her face. The road down to town was full of students bent over uncomfortably trying to keep the harsh weather from their face. If it wasn't for the fact that they were actually getting to go out of the castle grounds, then they may have chosen not to go out at all.

When they finally reached the town they spotted that Zonko's Joke Shop had been boarded up, and Allegra felt a pang of sadness for the store that had been there since they had started Hogwarts. Ron pointed a bluish purple hand towards Honeydukes, which was mercifully open and they all walked towards it.

"Thank god," Ron shivered as they were enveloped by warm, toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon."

"Harry, m'boy!" Someone boomed from behind them.

"Oh no," Harry muttered quietly. They turned to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous winter coat and a fur hat that looked like a dead badger, clutching a bag of crystallized pineapple. He was taking up a large corner of the shop and Allegra wondered absently how he was able to fit through the door.

"Harry, that's three of my little suppers you've missed now!" He said poking Harry genially in the chest. "It won't do, m'boy, I'm determined to have you. Allegra has been very good, and her friend Mr Zambini. That's not to mention Miss Granger here, you love them, don't you?"

"Yes," Hermione said helplessly, "they're really -"

"So why don't you come along, Harry?"

"Er, I've had appointments with Dumbledore, sir," Harry told him.

"Well, how about this Monday night?"

"I can't, sir, I'm having another one -"

"Unlucky again!" Slughorn cried dramatically. "Ah, well ... you can't evade me forever, Harry!" He waddled out the shop taking as little notice of Ron as a display of Cockroach Clusters. And he did have to squeeze through the door.

"I can't believe you've wriggled out of another one," Hermione said, shaking her head. "They're not _that_ bad, you know ... they're even quite fun sometimes ..." she glanced at Ron and caught sight of his expression, which was a mixture of annoyance and warning. "Oh, look - they've got Deluxe Sugar Quills - those would last hours!"

Allegra and Hermione stepped towards the display with more interest than they ever would have given Sugar Quills, no matter how 'Deluxe' they were.

"Nice save," Allegra muttered, leaning towards Hermione. She shot her a small smile before Harry helped out by changing the subject. Unfortunately, Ron didn't cheer up at the sight of Sugar Quills, and merely shrugged when Hermione asked him where he wanted to go next.

"Let's go to the pub," Allegra suggested, "I need a drink."

They pulled their hoods back up and made back out onto the High Street and across the square. As they drew closer to the Three Broomsticks, Allegra noticed there were only two people on the square that had stood to chat. One was very tall and thin; and Allegra recognised him as one of the old men who worked in the Hog's Head. As they got closer, the barman pulled his cloak tightly around him and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms.

"Mundungus!" Harry half gasped as they approached, clearly recognising the man. The squat, bandy-legged man jumped and dropped an ancient suitcase, which burst open and released what looked like the entire contents of a charity shop window.

"Oh, 'ello, 'Arry," Mundungus Fletcher replied, with a most unconvincing try for airiness. "Well, don't let me keep ya." He began scrabbling on the ground to retrieve the contents of his suitcase with the obvious need to be long gone.

"Are you selling this stuff?" Harry asked watching the man hauling as much as he could back into the suitcase at once.

"Oh, well, gotta scrape a living, gimme that!" Ron had stooped down and picked up something silver.

"Hang on," Ron said slowly. "This looks familiar -"

"Thank you!" Mundugus snatched the goblet from Ron's hands and stuffed it back into the case.

"Hey, that looks like -" Allegra was cut off as Harry pinned Mundungus up against the wall of the pub.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed in surprise.

"You took that from Sirius's house," Harry stated, confirming Allegra and Ron's suspicions. Harry was now almost nose-to-nose with Mundungus, had he not been several inches taller. "That had the Black family crest on it."

"I - no - what -?" Mundungus spluttered and turning a reddish purple.

"What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?" Harry snarled.

"I - no -"

"Give it to me!"

Suddenly there was a bang and Harry stumbled backwards, Mundungus leaped for his suitcase and there was a mighty CRACK as he disapparated.

"Shit!" Harry shouted, spinning around to see where he'd gone. "Come back you thieving -!"

"There's no point, Harry." Tonks had appeared out of nowhere, her mousy hair wet with sleet. "Mundungus will probably be in London by now. There's no point yelling."

"He nicked Sirius's stuff!" Nicked it!"

"Yes, but still," Tonks said, seemingly untroubled by this piece of information, "you should get out of the cold."

She watched them go through the door of the Three Broomsticks. The moment he was inside, Harry burst.

" _He was nicking Sirius_ _'_ _s stuff!_ "

"I know, Harry, but please don't shout, people are staring." Hermione whispered.

"I don't mind, no one can see me," Allegra smiled sweetly, leaning her head back to look at Ron from beneath her oversized hood and he grinned back. No one could see more than her mouth and bottom of her hair. She also couldn't see above Ron's waist unless she looked up.

"Go sit down, I'll order our drinks," Hermione told them. Harry was still fuming when Hermione returned to their table a few minutes later holding two bottles of Butterbeer in each hand.

"Can't the Order control Mundungus?" Harry demanded, this time at a whisper. "Can't they at least stop him stealing everything that's not fixed down when he's at Headquarters?"

"Shhh!" Hermione looked around desperately to make sure no one was listening; there was a table of warlocks looking at Harry, and apparently muttering between each other to see who it was under the hood. Blaise was leaning cooly against a pillar not far away, but there was so much babble Allegra doubted anyone could hear them without magical help. "Harry, I'd be angry too, I know it's your things he's stealing -" Harry gagged on his beer, he had apparently forgotten that he was now the owner of 12 Grimmald Place.

"Yeah, it's my stuff!" He said. "No wonder he wasn't pleased to see me! Well, I'm going to tell Dumbledore what's going on, he's the only one who scares Mundungus."

"I don't know, I think Kingsley and McGonagall can be pretty imitating, and Tonks used to be. Not to mention that Lupin's a Werewolf -"

"Good idea, Harry." Hermione said, cutting Allegra off. "Ron, what are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Ron said a little too quickly, Allegra tipped her head back to see out from under the hood and realised he was trying to catch the eye of Madam Rosmerta, for whom he had a crush on.

"I expect 'nothing' is in the back getting more Firewhiskey," Hermione said. Ron ignored her and sat back into a relaxed pose.

"Allegra, are you going to put your hood down?" Ron asked after considering her for a few moments.

"No," she replied, putting her head down further as she took a swig.

"Why not?"

"Because Colin Creevy and Luke Dory are both not far away."

"Oh, of course," Ron mocked, "the _fan club_."

"Shut up, Ron."

"Maybe I should wave them over?"

"No Ron, I can tolerate Luke, but not Colin. Don't make me."

As soon as they finished their beers Harry suggested they head back to the castle. Allegra had hoped to see Draco around, but Blaise had only made a brief appearance with some other Slytherins and Draco was nowhere to be seen. They all slugged back out into the wind and rain and headed back to the castle.

Katie Bell and her friend Leanne, both of whom weren't fond of Allegra (although she suspected Leanne only didn't like her because Katie didn't) were walking ahead of them. After a few minutes Allegra became aware that Katie and Leanne were having a 'heated debate' and were arguing over something Katie had in her hands.

"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" Suddenly Leanne grabbed hold of the package Katie was holding; Katie tugged it back and the package fell to the ground. At once, Katie shot up into the air violently, maybe fifteen feet off the ground. Her arms were outstretched as though trying to fly, but there was something very wrong about it. Her hair whipped around viciously and her eyes had rolled back to white, her face a pale grey colour. Leanne had stumbled backwards, eyes wide in shock. Then Katie let out a terrible, inhuman scream.

Leanne cried out in terror and the four friends rushed forwards as Katie slammed into the ground, writhing and thrashing until eventually she fell still.

"Stay here!" Harry shouted over the wind. "I'll go for help!" Harry ran off ahead. Leanne bent down to touch her friend.

"Wait!" Allegra reached down to her shoulder and pulled her back firmly. "Don't touch her."

"She's been cursed," Hermione explained. Allegra nodded.

Leanne suddenly burst into tears and fell onto Hermione, babbling about what had happened. Apparently Katie had decided to touch the necklace, but Leanne had told her not to. She'd mentioned something about toilets as well, but Allegra thought she was probably mishearing.

"Do you think you can move her and the necklace?" Ron asked, putting his hand to his head to motion for Allegra's magic. Allegra nodded.

"I think so, it will be slow, but at least we'll be moving."

It took a few seconds but eventually Allegra got both her and the necklace in their air and moving towards the castle, no faster than a stroll. Soon Harry and Hagrid came running over the hill.

"Lemme see her!" He shouted and Allegra stopped moving.

"Something's happened to her!" Leanne sobbed. "I don't know what -"

"She's been cursed." Allegra said, and Hagrid looked at her gravely. He then looked at Katie for a minute and without a word, scooped her out of the air and ran off towards the castle.

"It's Leanne, isn't it?" Hermione said, putting her arm around her. Leanne nodded.

"Did it just happen all of a sudden, or -?"

"When the package tore," she said pointing at the wet brown packaging that surrounded the green, blue and purple stoned necklace still floating in the air. Ron bent towards it and Harry tugged him back.

"Don't be stupid!" They all stared at the necklace. "I've seen that before," Harry said, staring at it. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label on it said it was cursed, Katie must've touched it."

Hermione nodded, "that's what we thought, too."

Harry looked to Leanne, who was shaking from shock and cold, and they started towards the castle again. The faster they were inside the better.

"How did Katie get hold of this?" Harry asked, following behind Allegra with Hermione and Leanne.

"Well, that's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it ... oh no, oh no, I bet she's been imperiused and I didn't even realise!" Leanne looked guilt stricken.

"She didn't say who'd given it to her, then?" Allegra asked softly.

"No ... she wouldn't tell me ... and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she just wouldn't listen and ... and then I tried to grab it from her ... and - and -" Leanne wailed in despair, clearly forgetting any hate she was meant to have for Allegra.

"We'd better get back to school quickly," Hermione said picking up the pace. "We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on ..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As they approached the castle Professor McGonagall came running out and down the steps towards them.

"Hagrid said you five saw what happened to Katie Bell - upstairs to my office at once, please! Allegra - is - is that you doing that?" she pointed to the necklace.

Allegra nodded, she didn't care that Leanne would know.

"What is it?"

"It's the thing Katie touched," Harry said.

"Good Lord," Professor McGonagall said, looking alarmed. "You better keep that, Allegra. No, no, Filch, they're with me!" She added hastily, for Filch had come shuffling across the Entrance Hall with his Secrecy Sensor, looking eager. "Filch, come and take this to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped up in the packaging!" Filch looked a little bemused as he plucked it out of the air, but then hurried off towards the dungeons. They followed McGonagall upstairs to her office.

"Well done Allegra, that was the right time to use that." She praised. Once inside, she closed the door behind them and then hurried to her desk to face them.

"Well?" she said sharply. "What happened?"

Leanne began to tell the story of what had happened minutes earlier, although it took much longer than necessary due to Leanne's level of distress and the fact she wasn't really making working sentences.

Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the unmarked package, and Katie had seemed a little odd. They had argued about the package and about how safe it was to deliver such packages, until they tussled over the parcel which tore open and Katie brushed the necklace. Leanne didn't manage any more than that, as thinking over the events again only seemed to birth more guilt in Leanne's mind.

"All right," Professor McGonagall sighed, "go up to the hospital wing, please Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock." Leanne nodded timidly and once she had left McGonagall turned back to Harry, Allegra, Ron and Hermione. "Why is it always you four?" She asked rhetorically, and Allegra wasn't sure if it had been an accusation or a throw-away comment. "What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"

"She rose up in the air," Harry said before anyone else could get a word out. "Screamed, collapsed to the floor and thrashed around for a while until she fell still. Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?"

"The Headmaster is away until Monday, Potter."

"Away?" Harry repeated angrily.

"Yes, Potter, away!" She confirmed tartly. "But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure." Harry seemed to hesitate for a moment and Allegra wondered what he wanted to say that was so important that he'd hesitate telling his own Head of House.

"I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor." Ron put his head down in embarrassment, Hermione shuffled around awkwardly and Allegra simply gawped at him.

"That's a very serious accusation, Potter, do you have any proof?"

"No," Harry said hesitantly. "But ..." He told her about following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes and the conversation they had overheard between him and Borgin. When he finished speaking McGonagall looked confused.

"Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?"

"No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn't have it with him. But that's not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time and I think it was that necklace -"

"You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"

"No, Professor, he told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him -"

"But Harry," Hermione interrupted, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, Malfoy said 'no' -"

"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" Harry said angrily.

"What he actually said was, 'how would I look carrying that down the street?'"

"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying that necklace," Ron interjected.

"Oh Ron," Hermione said despairingly. "It would all be wrapped up, so he wouldn't have to touch it, and quite easy to hide in a bag or under a cloak, so nobody would see it! I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky; something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street - and in any case," she pressed on loudly before Harry could interrupt, "I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there. And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was sold or anything -"

"Well, you were being really obvious, he realised what you were up to within about five seconds, of course he wasn't going to tell you - anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since -"

"That's enough!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, growing tired of hearsay. She looked at Allegra; with the time they'd spent together the year before in St. Mungo's and now with her Animagus lessons, she wanted to hear something from someone she could trust to be straight and levelheaded with her. "Allegra, were you not with them at this time?"

"I was, but I didn't want to follow Draco."

"Do you think he would have purchased this necklace?"

Allegra shrugged honestly, "I don't know. But I don't see why he would, and I trust him to not be doing anything to put me at risk -"

"You shouldn't." Harry said quickly.

"Mr Potter!" McGonagall warned, before turning back to Allegra. "Do you think he was acting suspiciously?"

"I don't know what he was doing there, Professor. I am not naive enough to believe that just because we are friends that he wouldn't be doing something he shouldn't be, but everyone has their own personal business, and I wouldn't want him snooping around mine. I'm not doing anything dark or evil - even if I don't broadcast my every move. I don't believe he would have given Katie that package. Apart from anything, how would he have been in the girls' bathroom?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow and the corner of her mouth quivered.

"Exactly." She smiled at Allegra, and Allegra wasn't sure what she meant. "Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the blame at Mr Malfoy just because he visits the store where the necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people -"

"That's what I said." Ron muttered.

"- and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year, I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered the school without our knowledge -"

"But -"

"- and what more," McGonagall said with an air of finality, "Mr Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."

"How do you know, Professor?"

"Because he was doing detention with me. He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row."

"Really?" Allegra could hear the worried undertones in her own voice, and wondered if the others caught it too.

"Unfortunately, Allegra, yes." McGonagall held her gaze for a moment longer before standing. "I need to go and check on Katie now. Good day to you all." McGonagall held the door open for them and they filed out of the office.

Harry was angry, Allegra could tell by the tense line of his shoulders and his tightly squeezed fists at his sides.

"So, who do you reckon Katie was meant to give the necklace to?" Ron asked as they climbed the stairs to the common room.

"Goodness only knows," Hermione said. "But whoever it was had a narrow escape. No one could have opened that package without touching the necklace."

"It could've been meant for loads of people," Harry said. "Dumbledore - the Death Eaters would love to get rid of him, he must be one of their top targets. Or Slughorn - Dumbledore reckons Voldemort really wanted him and they can't be pleased that he's sided with Dumbledore. Or -"

"Or you," Hermione said, looking troubled.

"Couldn't have been," Harry said, "or she would've just turned around and given it to me, wouldn't she? It would have made much more sense to deliver the parcel outside Hogwarts, what with Filch searching everyone and everything that goes in or out. I wonder why Malfoy told her to take it into the castle?"

"Harry, Draco wasn't in Hogsmeade!" Allegra told him in a vent of frustration. "For all you know, it could have been meant for him! It must have been for someone who was still at school, mustn't it? And from someone who isn't at school, or you wouldn't have tried getting it in through the front door."

"Whatever," Harry shrugged and walked down the corridor towards the Fat Lady. "Dilligrout."

The portrait swung open and let them into the common room. It was practically full and smelled of damp clothing; many people seemed to have returned from Hogsmeade early. The smell seemed to wake Allegra up to how uncomfortable she was in her damp jeans. There was no noise of speculation, so obviously the news about Katie had not yet left the hospital wing.

"It wasn't a very slick attack when you think about it," Ron said stopping at the bottom of the dorm stairs. "The curse didn't even make it into the castle. Not what you'd call foolproof."

"That's true," Hermione agreed, shrugging off her damp coat. "I don't think it was very well thought out."

"That's what I mean about it being someone outside the castle," Allegra said. "Maybe it was a complete accident?"

The next day Katie Bell was shipped off to St. Mungo's and everyone found out what had happened. The only thing they didn't seem to know was that Katie hadn't been the real target. After Potions that Monday afternoon, Allegra caught Draco as he came out the door.

"Draco," she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her.

"Hey," he said with a frown, "what's up?"

"Are you busy?"

"I don't have to be."

"Okay, well, will you come to the library with me?"

"Uh, okay, but isn't there somewhere better we could go?" Allegra shook her head and led him towards the Slytherin portrait.

Once they reached the portrait the door was still open and she could see inside. Blaise suddenly came up behind her and gave her a rib-cracking hug that lifted her off the ground. Allegra groaned.

"Put her down, Zambini," Draco said.

Blaise put her down and pushed her into the common room.

"Can you go and get your Transfiguration stuff?" Allegra smiled at Draco sweetly.

"Haha! She's going to make you do your work!" Blaise laughed loudly.

"Can I reconsider what I just said about being busy?"

"No. Besides, I'm pretty much going to tell you the answers, anyway." Draco shrugged. "Make sure that he comes back, Blaise, please."

"Oh, I will," Blaise was grinning and shoved Draco further into the common room. "He won't be long."

Allegra took a few steps back out into the hallway and the portrait slammed shut, only missing her by a few inches.

"You really shouldn't be here," the portrait said, examining his nails, despite wearing leather gloves.

"Well, I'm just going to ignore you today." Allegra lay her head back against the cold stone.

"What? You can't just ignore me, you spoke just then." Allegra stared up at the ceiling and thought about other things. The portrait carried on ranting until finally it opened and Draco stepped out in a teal long sleeved sweater and black jeans, his books in one hand.

"Sorry, I've been behind the portrait for ages but the door wouldn't open." As the portrait swung shut again Draco turned to glare at it.

"Yeah, I've been ignoring him." Allegra smiled and picked up her bag. "Come on, let's go."

After a brief stop for Allegra to change they arrived at the library and settled down to work.

"How did you know that I hadn't been doing my homework?" Draco asked, looking up from the question sheet.

"McGonagall told me," she said, glancing up from where she was doing a drawing on a piece of paper.

"McGonagall _told_ you?"

"Yeah, I mean, she told me on Saturday. Me and her, we're like this -" she showed him her crossed fingers.

"You are, huh?" He said flatly. "So she's spying on me for you now?"

"Something like that." Allegra nodded, not looking up from her artwork.

"Why did you see her on Saturday?"

"Because I was there when Katie got injured." Allegra looked up to read his reaction carefully. He paused and looked at her, but he had his poker face on and Allegra couldn't see a thing. She couldn't decide if that was a good or bad sign.

"Really?"

Allegra nodded.

"You don't know anything about that, do you?" Allegra looked back down and carried on doodling, trying to make the question sound casual and disinterested.

"No," he said, "no more than what everyone else does." Allegra nodded and Draco went back to his homework questions.

"So," Allegra began a little while later after finishing her drawing of the two of them. "How come you haven't been doing your homework?" Draco looked up and she threw herself over the drawing. "Don't look yet!" Draco smiled and tried to push her off it.

"Why not?"

"It's a surprise," Allegra frowned childishly. "Anyway -"

"I just haven't." Draco said casually, already knowing what she was going to repeat the question.

"Why?"

Draco shrugged, "can't be bothered. I don't really care about school work anymore."

" _Don_ _'_ _t care_?" Allegra repeated in disbelief. Surely he didn't care so little that he wanted to completely fail. He was naturally bright, he could pass his classes with little effort. "So you'd rather get detention all the time? What are you going to do _after_ school, Draco?"

"I don't know, Ali, there's a lot of shit happening now, and -"

"Like what, can't I help -?"

"Ali, the best thing you can do is just trust me, okay?"

"Okay." Allegra said immediately and then frowned. There had been a strange intensity in his voice that she hadn't heard before. His expression was strained and she noticed for the first time how tired he really looked. His eyes were watching her with a look that suddenly made the conversation feel intimate, despite being in a busy library.

"Can I see the drawing now?" He asked closing his book, apparently finished.

"No. Are you finished?"

"Yes, do you want to check?" he said mockingly, pushing his book towards her.

"No, I believe you."

"So, can I see the drawing?"

"No. You have green hair; I only had a few crayons." Allegra nodded towards a green, blue, pink, silver and red lying across the table.

"Why didn't you use magic to change the colour?"

"Uh," Allegra grinned innocently. "I didn't think of that."

"So, can I see?"

"Only if you wait for me to change the colours and if you promise to put it up on the wall near your bed."

"I promise," He held his hand out to see. Allegra stood up and moved along to another table where Lavender and Pavarti were sat to change the colours while Draco watched with a smirk.

"Hi guys," Allegra greeted, putting the bad drawing down and changing all the colours so that they were right. She used her wand, of course, to fit in with the rest of the students.

"What are you doing?" Lavender asked, leaning across the table to see the drawing.

"Making my drawing better."

"Who's it of?" Pavarti asked, before Allegra had changed Draco's hair.

"Her and Malfoy, silly," Lavender said with a dramatic roll of the eyes. Once Allegra was happy with the colouring she went back to Draco and put the drawing down on the table. He twisted it towards him and laughed under his breath.

"Very creative," he smiled. "Are you going to animate it?"

"Yeah," Allegra waved her wand over it and the drawing came to life. "Better?"

"Much," Draco laughed as the drawings turned to look at each other. Suddenly the drawing of Allegra leapt onto Draco's and started sucking it's face off.

"Whoa," Draco laughed, "you're horny even as a drawing."

"Well," Allegra said, her eyes growing large, "that's embarrassing ... You don't have to put it up on your bedroom wall."

"I think I will."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

That evening Slughorn held another one of his "parties", and by the time Allegra, Hermione and Ginny got back to the common room everyone had gone to bed so Allegra didn't have a chance to talk to Harry until lunch the next day. Harry had talked to Hermione and Ron about his lesson with Dumbledore in their Herbology lesson, but they updated Allegra with it as they sat down for lunch.

"Harry watched Dumbledore talk to You-Know-Who when he was just a boy."

"Wow, bet that was weird. Was he as fucked up back then?"

"Not quite, no. A little, but not like he is now. I think Hogwarts did that to him." Harry said.

"I know it's interesting and all that, but why are you watching it all?" Allegra asked.

"I'm not sure, but he says it's important and will help me survive."

"I guess if you get to know a person better you know their weaknesses, but it seems like a bit of a long way to do it."

"Yeah, but I guess we'll see. How was Slughorn's party, anyway?"

"Good! You really should have come this time, Harry," Allegra said, sounding more excited than she should have. "He does drone on a little about famous ex-pupils, and he absolutely fawns over McLaggen because he's so well connected, but he gave us some really good food and introduced us to Gwenog Jones."

"Gwenog Jones?" Ron repeated, eyes widening. " _The_ Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

"Uhuh," Allegra nodded at him. "Hermione thought she was a little stuck up, but I think she has a right to be."

"Of course her and Allegra hit it off right away, what with Gwenog wanting to get on the England team." Hermione told them, both boys had expressions that said they were a bit pissed off about missing out on this one.

"And he's going to have a big Christmas party, Harry," Allegra said as she finished a sandwich, "and we're allowed to invite other people, so one of us can take Ron, so we can all go."

"Yeah, and he's asked me to check for all your free evenings, so there's no way you'll be able to get out of this one, Harry." Hermione said.

That evening they had an unscheduled quidditch practice, as it was the first time the pitch hadn't been booked on the days when the weather wasn't awful. The team worked well together as usual, however Ron's keeping was a little worse than usual, Allegra guessed it was probably because of the long break since their last practice. Allegra had known that Ron was inconsistent when she put him back on the team, but today he started off badly, lost some confidence and just got worse and worse. He let in most shots, so much so that Allegra actually stopped shooting so that the only real threat was Ginny. His technique got wilder and wilder until he actually punched an oncoming Demelza Robins in the mouth.

"It was an accident, I'm sorry, Demelza, really sorry!" He shouted as she zigzagged towards the ground, dripping blood everywhere. "I just -"

"Panicked." Ginny said angrily.

"Hermione!" Allegra shouted to the one lone audience member, who hadn't seen what had happened. Allegra flew quickly towards her and hovered near by. "Ron just punched Demelza, can you help get her to the hospital wing? There's a lot of blood." Hermione leapt up and ran down to the field. Overall, it wasn't the best practice they'd ever had.

"Good work today. We'll do just fine against Slytherin. Especially as I _know_ their captain hasn't been putting in any work." The Slytherin captain was of course, Draco, and Allegra knew damn well he hadn't been putting any effort in. Allegra flew to the ground and ran to catch up with Hermione and Demelza.

Over the next few days, Ron's mood turned into an angry seething mess. He snapped at everyone and anyone, and he was giving Hermione a very icy shoulder.

"What's so wrong with Ron?" Allegra asked Harry when the two of them were alone in the common room.

"He and Ginny had a huge fight," he told her. "And now he hates everyone."

"Why Hermione though? They were just starting to get along."

"I think he feels left behind."

"By what?"

"Well, we walked in on her and Dean having a steamy kissing session, and obviously he didn't like that."

"Obviously."

"Well, she got seriously pissed off."

"Ah," Allegra knew Ginny could be a real bitch when she wanted to, and she was never one to hold back when shouting at her brothers.

"She basically told him that he was jealous and went on to explain that all his friends have had girlfriends and boyfriends, and that even Hermione had had a thing with Krum, but he has no one."

"That's nonsense though, he's pulled an adequate amount of people at parties, he's kissed me, for goodness sake, playing spin-the-bottle."

"I don't think that counts, Allegra, to be honest."

"I'd count it." Allegra said, ignoring Luke who was winking at her across the room.

"I think it's the Hermione thing that really got to him."

"Well I don't think he needs to worry about that, she wants him, there's no doubt about that." Harry looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, but are you going to be the one to tell him that and then face Hermione? What about if they get together and it goes tits-up? What will we do then?"

"I hadn't thought of that ..." Allegra said, but now she was going to.

Ron's mood had not improved any by the last quidditch practice before the Slytherin match. So not only was he bellowing at everyone, but he didn't save one shot that Ginny or Demelza had taken at him. Allegra had hardly played at all; she just watched and told him to shut the hell up or McLaggen would be taking his place. When he reduced Demelza to tears the only reason Allegra didn't send him off was that Harry was there to calm her down.

"You shut up and leave her alone!" Peakes had shouted at him, despite being half the size of Ron, although admittedly holding a large bat.

"RONALD!" Allegra screamed shortly after. "I swear to god I am going to -"

"Allegra, breathe," Harry put his hand on her arm as well as he could from his broom and made a breathing action with his other. "You're going bright red."

Allegra took a moment to gather herself and then looked around the field.

"Peakes, can you pack up the Bludgers? Ginny, help Demelza calm down while I decide what to do with your twat of a brother," Ginny grinned knowing that Ron was going to get it, and lead Demelza off the pitch. "Ron ..." Allegra flew towards him. He was sitting bolt upright on his broom with his arms crossed. Harry followed closely. "I swear to god, if you can't work nicely with everyone else, I'm going to put McLaggen on instead. Because we really need to work as a team."

Ron looked livid for a moment before sagging on his broom and giving up.

"I resign," he sighed. "I'm pathetic."

"You're not pathetic and you're not resigning!" Harry told him. "You can save anything when you're feeling confident; it's just this mental problem you've got!"

"You calling me mental?"

"Yeah! Something's going wrong in there!" Allegra tapped him on the head.

"I'll play tomorrow if you let me, Ali, but when we lose I'm taking myself off the team."

"Ron, if we lose tomorrow and you do that, I'll make sure you wake up without any balls, so you better bloody try and win this game!"

Harry and Ron stared at Allegra.

"That's a pretty heavy threat," Ron said.

"You're really getting this whole 'captain' thing, aren't you?" Harry grinned briefly.

"Yes. And while I'm captain, I'm not going to be your best friend, because I _have_ to win tomorrow."

For the rest of the evening Harry tried to boost Ron's confidence, but nothing he did or said would help. Allegra tried to give him a pep talk during dinner, but he was too busy being moody with Hermione to listen. By the end of the night, the only reason Allegra didn't ask Cormac to play was because Harry said he'd had an idea.

Which was lucky for Ron, because she _had_ to beat Draco the next day. She knew Draco hadn't been paying much attention to quidditch and with the amount of time she had been putting in ... well, she wouldn't have much soul left if Slytherin won.

The next morning breakfast was its usual theatrical affair as any pre-match meal. Slytherin booed whenever a Gryffindor quidditch team member walked in, and Gryffindor did the same for the Slytherin team. The Great Hall predicted blue skies, so they were in for good flying weather. Everyone was in their house colours, a sea of gold and red for Gryffindor and green and silver for Slytherin. The Gryffindors cheered as Allegra, Hermione, Harry and Ron entered, not quite drowned out by the Slytherin's booing.

"Cheer up, Ron!" Lavender called as they passed. "I know you'll be brilliant!" Ron just ignored her, although this didn't seem to comfort Hermione any. They sat down and Allegra started to choose what she would nibble on for breakfast. She wasn't good at eating before a match - afterwards, yes - but before it would just make her sick.

"Tea?" Harry asked Ron. "Coffee? Pumpkin Juice?"

"Anything," Ron said glumly, taking a moody bite of toast.

"How are you all feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Fine," Harry answered absently, he was passing Ron a glass of pumpkin juice. "There you go, Ron, drink up." Ron raised the glass to his lips when Hermione spoke sharply.

"Don't drink that, Ron!" They looked at her.

"Why not?" Ron asked. Hermione was staring at Harry as though she could not believe her eyes.

"You just put something in that drink."

"Excuse me?" Harry said.

"You heard me, I saw you. You just tipped something into Ron's drink. You've got a bottle in your hand right now!"

Allegra looked down quickly and Harry was stowing away something inside his pockets.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione said again alarmed, but Ron just downed the drink and said: "Stop bossing me around, Hermione."

Hermione looked scandalised. She leaned across towards Harry and hissed, "You should be expelled for that. I'd never have believed it of you, Harry!"

"Look who's talking," he replied. "Confunded anyone lately?"

"Are you not going to do anything," Hermione said, flushing and turning to Allegra. "You're their captain!"

"There's nothing I can do, Hermione," Harry grinned at Allegra. "I can't suck the drink back out of him, and I'm not going to say they can't play."

Hermione stormed off up the table without looking back.

She had never quite grasped the importance of quidditch.

"Conditions look ideal," Ginny said as Allegra entered the changing room. "And guess what? That Slytherin Chaser Vaisey - he took a bludger to the head yesterday during their practice, and he's too sore to play! And even better than that - Malfoy's gone off sick too!"

" _What_?" Allegra said, wheeling around to look at her. "He's ill? He looked fine yesterday!"

"What's wrong with him?" Harry asked. Harry had been looking forward to playing Draco more than Allegra had.

"No idea, but it's great for us," Ginny said brightly. "They're playing Harper instead. He's in my year and has about three brain cells."

"Doesn't make it very challenging anymore though, does it?" Allegra sighed, sitting down next to Ginny to pull on her shoes.

"I don't know, with Ron around ..." Ginny mumbled and glared off across the changing room at Ron's back.

Allegra made a mental note to tackle Blaise at the end of the match and find out what was going on.

"Come on guys, we've got about five minutes, get yourselves ready!" Allegra called across the changing room.

They were called out to the pitch to the usual accompanying cheers and boos. One side of the stadium was solid red and gold and the other was silver and green. Most Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had chosen sides, too. Blaise had stepped in as captain instead of Draco, so he winked at Allegra as they shook hands.

Madame Hooch hovered near by on her broom with a quaffle in her hands for the toss up.

"Ready, on the whistle ... three ... two ... one ..." The whistle blew and they all leapt forward to start the match. Allegra soared forwards with Ginny and Demelza jumping around, and the Slytherin players did their best to get in the way.

Half an hour in and Gryffindor were leading 100-30, Allegra having scored five goals, Ginny three and Demelza two. Ron had been making some amazing saves, and Allegra didn't understand how Ron could go from how badly he had been playing yesterday to how well he was playing today.

Not that she had time to think about anything other than what was going on for more than five minutes so far. Zacharias Smith had taken Lee's place as commentator, much to her despair. It wasn't that she had a problem with him; he just was pulling apart her team as best as he could.

"Of course, Coote isn't really the usual build for a beater," he said loftily, "they've usually got a bit more muscle -"

"Hit a bludger at him!" Harry called to Coote, who grinned back at Harry but chose to hit an oncoming bludger at Harper instead, and it hit its target with a satisfying thud.

The match got better and better, Allegra's team was working together better than she ever could have expected.

Allegra scored repeatedly, along with Ginny and Demelza, who usually just liked to set her up (and she was very good at it, too).

"And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the snitch!" Smith said through the megaphone.

"Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"

Allegra looked up to see Harper fumble and Harry rocket into the space and then - Harry pulled up triumphant! The roar of cheers was so loud Allegra thought she could hear her ear drums vibrating. The whole team flew to the middle to meet, and were hugging and congratulating each other mid-air.

"Ginny, where are you going?" Harry asked, as Ginny flew past and crashed into the commentators stand. The crowd shrieked and laughed as everyone could hear Smith groan and Ginny say, "forgot to break, Professor, sorry," through the megaphone.

"Seamus said we're going to have a party up in the common room as usual!" Coote told everyone excitedly, it would be his first party on the team. "Come on, Peakeyyyy! Demelza!"

Allegra, Harry and Ron were the last to leave the changing rooms, and were just about to leave when Hermione came in.

"I want a word with you, Harry." She took a deep breath and Allegra raised an eyebrow as she threw her bag onto her shoulder to watch. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal."

"What are you talking about?" Allegra asked, stepping towards them.

"What are you going to do? Turn us in?" Ron demanded at the same time.

"What _are_ you all talking about?" Harry asked, turning away to stuff his robes into his bag.

"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" Hermione said shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No I didn't," Harry said calmly, turning back to face the three of them.

"Yes you did, Harry, that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"

"I didn't put it in!" Harry said grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out a tiny bottle. It was still full of golden liquid and the cork was still sealed with wax. "I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." He looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself." He pocketed the potion again.

"There really wasn't anything in my juice?" Ron said, astounded. "But the weather's good ... and Vaisey and Malfoy didn't play ... I honestly didn't have it?" Harry just shook his head, Ron gaped at him for a moment and then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice. " _You added Felix Felicis to Ron_ _'_ _s juice this morning, that_ _'_ _s why everything_ _'_ _s gone right, that_ _'_ _s why he saved everything!_ See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"

"I never said you couldn't - Ron, _you_ thought you'd been given it, too!" But Ron had stormed past her with his broom over his shoulder and was already out the door before she had finished.

"Er," Harry said into the sudden silence; his expression showing he had not expected the plan to backfire quite like that. "Shall ... shall we go up to the party, then?"

"You go!" Hermione said, blinking back tears. "I'm so _sick_ of Ron at the moment; I don't know what I'm supposed to have done wrong to make him hate me quite so much!"

Hermione leaned on Allegra's shoulder and sucked in a large shuddering breath.

"You go ahead, Harry, we'll catch up with you." Harry nodded, glade to leave, and gave a sympathetic and thankful smile before he left.

"Come here, 'Mione." Allegra hugged her and guided her over to one of the benches to sit down. It wasn't an ideal place to sit and wait for someone to calm down, as the whole place stunk of sweat and because of the showers, was surprisingly hot and stuffy too.

"I - I just don't understand why he's being such a dick to me," she cried, letting it out properly now that Harry had gone.

"Because he's an angry, jealous person."

"What's he got to be angry and jealous of though, Ali? That's what I don't get, how did he suddenly get so venomous?!"

Allegra sighed, "he and Ginny had a huge fight." Hermione looked at Allegra through wet lashes, her mascara leaving little wet black lash lines under her eyes.

"What's that got to do with -"

"It was when he and Harry walked in on her and Dean having a steamy session in one of the halls. She went mental at him when he said he didn't want her doing that in public; she told him how Harry had kissed Cho, me and numerous boys, and you had done things with Krum." Hermione frowned, and wiped her eyes, only to smudge the mascara rather than getting rid of it. "He didn't know that you were so close with Krum, and that's why he's being stupid. Basically, he feels like he's the only one who hasn't had a relationship with anyone."

"What? But that's ridiculous! How could he not know - for a start - and why is he so upset about something that happened almost two years ago?"

"Because he likes you, and he's just found out that someone else had you, when he wants you to himself."

"He does! That was _two years ago_ and I barely talk to Viktor anymore, and we're certainly only friends."

"Yeah well, a lot of things haunt us from fourth year, Hermione." Allegra looked at her with a pained expression. "Ron feels like no one bothered to tell him at the time."

"Well what can I do now?" Hermione asked, and Allegra shrugged helplessly, she honestly didn't have an answer for her.

"I don't know yet, Hermione, but I'll let you know when I do. Now, do you want to go to this party?" Allegra swallowed, stood up and smiled down at Hermione. The air had gotten far too heavy in the room, and Allegra really wanted to go outside.

"Not really," she shook her head, but stood up anyway.

"Well," Allegra used a spell to clean Hermione's face up, "let's go and get changed and then you can help me find Blaise or Draco, if you want. I just need to talk to one of them briefly."

"Okay," she nodded. "But I'd rather it were Blaise."

"That's funny, as I think I'd rather it were Draco." She looked at Allegra a moment and then shook her head.

"I'm not sure you do."

"Harry, Harry, come on, tell me what you thought was really good, who did you think played well?" Colin Creevy and his brother had latched themselves onto Harry as soon as he had got to the party, wanting a full blown analysis of what had happened out on the pitch.

"Where's the Captain?" someone else asked as another shook his hand. It was some time before Harry managed to shake himself from the group, the last being Romilda Vane who couldn't have been much more blatant about what she wanted without asking 'Will you ask me to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with you?'

Harry spotted the drinks table, which was pretty much demolished already. Harry had almost gotten there when he almost walked into Ginny, Arnold the Pygmy Puff was riding on her shoulder, and Crookshanks was at her heels hoping for an easy meal.

"Looking for Ron?" She asked, smirking. "He's over there, the filthy hypocrite."

Harry looked over to the corner where she was pointing, and there in full view of the whole room stood Ron, wrapped so closely around Lavender Brown they'd be lucky to ever be separate people again.

"It looks like he's eating her face, doesn't it?" Ginny said dispassionately. "But I suppose he's got to learn his technique somehow. Have you seen Allegra? I thought she'd be here already but I can't find her."

"No, er, sorry Ginny, I haven't."

"Oh well, good game, Harry." She smiled and patted him on the arm. Harry felt a strange swooping sensation in the pit of his stomach and a burst of adrenaline. Ginny walked off to get some more Butterbeer from Dean, while Harry looked around as though someone would have been able to feel or see what Harry had just felt.

He looked at Ron for a moment, before feeling slightly sick and turning to see that Allegra's quidditch bag had appeared by the portrait door, and the swooping feeling was replaced with a sinking feeling as he saw the portrait door swinging closed.

Harry ran to the door, sidestepping Romilda who once again stepped into his path, and pushed the portrait open. The corridor outside was already deserted.

"Hermione? Allegra?" He got no reply.

He found them in the first empty classroom he looked in, Hermione was perched on a desk with her head in her hands, Allegra standing in front of her.

"I know how you feel, Hermione, you just have to breathe for now, we'll deal with the rest in a minute." Allegra patted Hermione's knees helplessly, clearly at loss of whether to hug Hermione or leave her alone.

"Oh, hello Harry," Hermione said, sounding fragile, spotting Harry over Allegra's shoulder. Allegra turned to look at Harry, but barely smiled. It was a look that could have made anyone think it was her who was in pain, not Hermione.

Hermione conjured a small group of yellow canaries that started flying around her head.

"Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations."

"Er ... does he?" Harry said awkwardly, shuffling his weight from one foot to the other. He had no idea what to say to her.

"Don't pretend you didn't see him, he wasn't exactly hiding it, was -"

The door burst open and Harry spun around. To his horror, Ron came in, laughing and pulling Lavender by the hand.

"Oh," he said, drawing up short at the sight of them.

"Oops!" Lavender said, backing up towards the door and giggling. As her giggles turned into silent shoulder shrugs, there was a horrible pregnant silence. Hermione stared at Ron, who refused to look at her.

"Hi Harry! Wondered where you'd got to!"

Hermione slid off the desk; the little flock of yellow birds followed her movement, but continued to fly like a feathery golden halo above her head.

"Ron, I think you should go." Allegra said darkly. Hermione was walking towards them.

"Why?" He looked at Allegra with an almost genuine look of confusion, until he glanced at Hermione and it turned into a fake expression.

"Because I don't have the patience for you right now, and if you don't go -"

" _Oppugno_!" Hermione pointed her wand at Ron, and the flock of birds sped towards him like yellow feathery bullets. Ron yelped and scuttled out the door after Lavender, the birds following, clawing and pecking at him wherever they could. Hermione turned back towards Allegra; they stared at each other for a moment before Allegra flew forwards and hugged Hermione as hard as she could.

Harry stood and shuffled around awkwardly for ten minutes while he and Allegra tried to comfort Hermione.

"I'm sorry," Hermione sobbed one last time. "You should both be off celebrating."

"Bullshit," Allegra said, the word sounding harsh after Hermione's whispers. "I don't want to go to that anyway."

"I'm just going to go to bed, I think. Allegra, you can go and look for Blaise or Draco."

"Are you sure? I only want to talk to them for five minutes; I shouldn't be very long at all."

Hermione nodded. "You can just come and meet me in our room when you're done, if you want."

Allegra nodded and put a hand on Hermione's back to guide her towards Harry.

"Are you going to ask them where Draco was today?" Harry asked bluntly. For a moment he worried that he was going to get her anger for Ron, but she just nodded.

"Yeah. I want to know where he was." Harry didn't ask any more than that. It was the straightest answer he'd had out of her about the Slytherins in a long time, and her tone said that they were in trouble, too.

"I'll take Hermione back," he told her, and she nodded thankfully.

"I won't be long. If I can't find them in ten minutes I'll give up."

They left in separate directions.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Look, if you don't let me in, or at least make someone in there go and get them for me, you'll regret it." The Slytherin portrait just looked at Allegra with mild amusement, obviously not taking her threats seriously. What he didn't realise, was that Allegra really was in that kind of mood to rip his picture apart. She was furious with Ron, because he was being so much of a cock she didn't know how he hadn't realised it for himself. And she was angry with Draco because she seriously didn't believe that he had food poisoning, or whatever pathetic excuse he used to get out of playing quidditch. And she was even angrier because she was defending him in front of everyone, and then he does something that is so obviously suspicious that even Allegra couldn't think of an innocent explanation for him.

Unless he was truly up in the Hospital Wing (which she doubted) and had suddenly come down with a fever, then she didn't know what to say to him.

"Sorry, I'm ignoring you." The smug smile on the portrait's face said that he was about to burst with laughter, and couldn't believe his own wit and luck that he was getting to turn this back on her.

"That's _not_ funny." Allegra felt heat rising to her cheeks, and for a moment she almost gave into temptation to destroy the smug painting.

"Oh, I think it _is_." The solider's shoulders were bobbing up and down, and you could probably hear his sniggering out in the main hall.

"You have three minutes, after that I'll -"

"You'll what? Unless your wand is hidden up your sleeve or in your sock, then I can't see it with you. It's not curfew yet either, so it's not as if no one would know if you did something. So basically, your threats are empty."

"I don't need a wand," Allegra seethed through gritted teeth.

"Oh," he laughed, "well, are you going to rip me apart with your teeth?" Luckily for him, at that moment a small second year opened the portrait door and Allegra leaped inside.

"Woah!" The small boy shouted in surprise. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, do you know anyone who can go and get Blaise Zambini or Draco Malfoy for me?" She asked as the portrait started shouting at the boy to push her back out.

"Why?" he looked Allegra up and down suspiciously.

"I just need to talk to one of them quickly, it doesn't matter which one, but if you can get Draco, that would be great."

There was a moment of silence where the boy obviously considered his options, his portrait still shouting at him.

"I haven't seen Malfoy today, I think he's ill, but I passed Zambini a second ago. I'll shout up the stairs, but that's as good as it's gunna get." Allegra looked down at the small mousy boy for a moment before deciding it probably wouldn't be a good idea to threaten a Slytherin while inside their common room, only hours after she had beaten them in quidditch.

"Alright, thanks," Allegra smiled and he set off across the common room.

"You owe me," he said, although he didn't look back at Allegra so most people who had heard him didn't understand who he was talking to.

Allegra tried her best to sink into the shadows as she waited, but any attention she may have warranted was given to the boy hollering up the stairs, then huffing and stomping upwards. She waited until the portrait behind her opened, and the ranting that immediately hit her ears was loud. The portrait was obviously not happy about the intrusion.

"- get who out?" Draco snapped, holding the portrait open and looking straight at Allegra.

"Oh," he said, his eyes softening as they landed on her.

"I can't find them," the small boy returned. "Oh, wait - I have." He smiled as he noticed Draco in the doorway, and brushed past her in the dark passage way and out passed Draco. "So you still owe me." The boy smiled in a way that wasn't exactly friendly, and left from view.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked. Allegra pushed him back out and dragged him away along the cold stone corridor away from the screeching portrait without looking at him.

"Am I in trouble?" he asked, before Allegra stopped to turn and glare at him in the entrance to an old corridor that led to unused Potions classrooms.

"I don't know yet." Allegra placed her hands on her hips and frowned in a way that was closer to the look of a child in a strop than a teacher or mother.

"You don't know?" Draco laughed under his breath and ruffled his hair.

"Where the hell _were_ you today? What happened to quidditch?" Draco's amused expression fell away and all that was left was something hard and slightly pained. He moved around awkwardly, rubbing his face and looking around before leaning against the wall further down in the unlit tunnel. He didn't answer the question, which Allegra took as a bad sign. It meant he didn't want to tell her, either because he didn't trust her or he was doing something she wouldn't like. She was yet to decide which of the two she preferred. "Okay, well, you're not ill ..." Allegra crossed her arms and walked around in front of him. "So you weren't getting out of quidditch for a real reason ... that doesn't look very good, does it, Draco?" He laughed under his breath again, and shook his head. "What? Not trust me enough to tell me?"

"No, I -"

"Or have we been back at school over two months, and that automatically makes all the time that you _lived_ with me in the summer mean nothing?"

"No, I trust you, don't be ridiculous." He bit down on his lip and moved back towards the main dungeon corridor, but Allegra stepped into his path so he couldn't just walk away from this. She was _not_ going to let him walk away from this.

"Me? Being ridiculous?" Allegra scoffed and shook her head. "What's ridiculous is that I always defend you. I always have your back, and then you practically throw it back in my face."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that there are a bunch of suspicious things going on at the moment, and a lot of people think that it's you."

"What -?"

"I defend you. Not just in front of my friends, but in front of our teachers. Then you don't even show up to a quidditch match, that you're meant to be Captain of, and everyone wonders where you are. I don't have any explanation this time."

"I don't need you to defend me, Ali!" He half shouted and took a step closer to her. Allegra didn't back down. "I don't care what people think anymore! Why the fuck does what anyone thinks matter to me? Don't you think that if I gave a shit what people think I would have done something about this by now?"

"I don't know!" Allegra yelled. "I don't know what _'_ _this_ ' is!"

"Yeah, you're not meant to!" He moved and slammed his fists against the wall, hard enough that she winced for him.

"Why not? How am I meant to be friends with you if you don't tell me anything? How am I meant to be friends with you _if I don_ _'_ _t see you_?" Allegra walked up to Draco and turned him to face her, but he wouldn't look her in the eye.

"I don't know." He said after a pregnant pause. "But you have to be. I can't - I just need -" He stopped and sighed.

"Need what?" His shoulders sagged and his hair fell over his eyes.

"Need everyone I care about to be okay." He brushed his hair aside the way he always did, but still didn't look at her properly. Allegra frowned and looked at his arms crossed across his chest instead, as soon as she looked way from his face she felt his gaze find her features.

"Draco, the world hasn't come crashing down." She looked up at him and he looked at her for a blink and then away again. "I don't understand, what are you doing with all your time?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because if I do, you'll probably never speak to me again, and something involving lives ending." He turned and walked deeper into the darkness. Allegra frowned with a small smile.

"Surely it's not that dramatic?"

"It is." The severity with which he had answered caused Allegra's stomach to do funny things like summersaults and her chest tightened as though she were trying not to cry.

"I'm sure that's not true -"

"It _is_ , Allegra, and I don't know what to do about it now. Whatever I do, I'm going to lose -" he stopped short and stared at her. The pain in his voice had rattled her, and she couldn't have stopped herself walking to him and hugging him if she had tried.

She didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but it sounded like was in a dark place and Allegra couldn't remember how he could have got there.

"I just - I couldn't bare it if you hated me." He continued, resting his chin on her head. "You and Blaise are my two favourite people ... I don't know how we ever even became friends ... but Blaise is different. I don't know why I'm depending on you ... I hardly ever see you, you know nothing about me at the moment, yet you effect every decision I make."

"I do?"

"I feel like I'm doing so much protecting and no one knows I'm doing it."

Allegra frowned, he wasn't making any sense.

She just clung to him, because his voice sounded like if she let go he'd fall apart.

"Why, though?" She asked after a silence. Draco shook his head in reply. "I don't even know what we're fighting about."

"I hate that we're here." He said. "I'm holding on for dear life and just trying not to cause any harm."

After another silence Allegra let go and looked up at him with her shining green eyes.

"I don't understand - and I don't think I'm going to. You don't have to tell me what's going on, if you promise me my trust in you is well placed."

"I promise."

"Katie Bell is still in hospital because someone is doing something they shouldn't be ... you're doing something you shouldn't be ..."

"That wasn't me, Allegra."

It was like a puzzle piece fell into place, because Allegra realised that she wasn't sure if she believed him. As sincerely as he had said it; he could see it in her eyes that she was unsure. That was why he was trying to hold on without getting too close.

She no longer trusted him as she once had.

It didn't surprise Draco, he had expected it all along, it was something he had predicted.

"Come to Slughorn's Christmas party with me."

"What?" Draco sounded surprised.

"Please, I have to bring someone and no way in hell am I taking Ron now."

"Uh," Draco was a little lost for words. "I ... don't think ... I'd really be any good for that."

"Oh, come on, it will be fun. You don't have to worry about any of this - whatever _this_ is - and we can just go." Allegra put on her best puppy eyes.

"Ali, I don't think -"

"At least think about it, please?" He pressed his lips together and she knew he'd given in.

"I'll think about it. But I'm not making any promises at all."

"Thank you," she smiled up at him sweetly and he rolled his eyes.

"You have me under your thumb," he turned her around by the shoulders and pushed her back towards the lit corridor.

"I wish," she grinned back at him.

"No, you do, you just don't know it yet."

"I just don't understand how he could be such a git." Hermione had been sat staring blankly at the bathroom door when Allegra had come in from speaking with Draco. The rest of Gryffindor had still been having a good time down at the party when she came into the common room and Allegra received a hearty cheer from the whole room. Allegra was delayed another five minutes or so as everyone wanted to congratulate her on two wins in a row. The Creevy brothers were also telling her how much they betted that now she was Captain, Gryffindor wouldn't lose a match.

Luke Dory had also taken some time as he tried to chat her up, he only let her go because she pointed him in the direction of some unattended alcohol that had been left over from the year before when it was easier to sneak in the odd bottle of firewiskey.

"Because he is one," she told Hermione. Ron didn't know it yet, but Allegra was _not_ in a good mood with him.

Lavender, she could forgive. Yes, she knew that there was obviously something going on between Ron and Hermione, but their status hadn't changed for two or three years and she wouldn't have known that just when she decided to fancy Ron was the same time that Ron and Hermione's relationship was close to becoming more than 'just friends'.

But she could have checked with Allegra that it was alright to hit on her best friend first, and make the dorm room awkward for its four tenants. She wanted to yell at her and tell her she shouldn't have done it, shouldn't have kissed him.

"If he wasn't my best friend, and I didn't know him as well as I do, I would tell you to ignore him forever or at least until he realises what he's missed out on, and then flaunt it in his face. Make him really regret it."

"Why aren't you going to?" Hermione asked, her cheeks had lost some of the red puffiness that had been apparent earlier, but she now just looked empty and sad.

"Because I do know him, and I hate it when the two of you fight. I think he'll realise what he's done, eventually."

"That could take forever," Hermione blinked, pulling her knees close to her chest. "He's not exactly the champion of noticing things."

"Well ... we'll just have to speed up the process." A sly grin crossed Allegra's face and she felt almost guilty for what she was about to tell her to do.

"How do we do that?"

"We'll just use how the two of you fell out back on him." Hermione just looked at her blankly, and Allegra rolled her eyes. "Ron fell out with you because he was jealous that someone else had kissed you, right?"

"Right ..." Hermione nodded.

"And although at the moment he has the novelty of having someone, the feeling will wear off in a few weeks and it won't feel like anything special. So, if he's got something to be jealous of again, then he's really not going to be thinking about Lavender if you're off doing your own thing as well." Hermione was quiet as she considered what Allegra had told her.

"So if I get someone else, then he'll be jealous of them, and realise that he likes me?"

"Yes!"

"Won't that just be using someone, though..?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to worry about that. We'll find someone you won't feel bad about using." Hermione mulled it over and then the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile.

"So, what happened with the Slytherin Twins?" Hermione asked, her eyes had brightened up and with something to think about she seemed a lot happier.

"Uh, well I found Draco and well ..."

"He wasn't ill?" Hermione guessed easily.

"No." Allegra looked down at her lap briefly before looking back at Hermione. "I think we had a fight."

"Really? Are you okay?" Hermione slipped off her bed and came to sit at the end of Allegra's. It was a strange gesture, considering only minutes ago Allegra had been the one comforting Hermione, but it made Hermione feel better to comfort other people than to feel like she needed it herself.

"Yeah, we worked it out. But he didn't tell me anything, really. There's something going on with him."

"Did he tell you where he was, then?" Allegra shook her head.

"He said he couldn't ... and that he didn't want to lose me." Allegra looked up at Hermione. "If I tell you something, do you promise to keep it between the two of us, no matter what?"

"Okay," Hermione nodded, her features now curious.

"I'm ... not sure Draco's _not_ a Death Eater." Saying it out loud seemed to shock Allegra as much as it did Hermione, who had gasped quietly.

"You mean, you think he might be -?"

"Maybe, I don't know. Whatever he's doing, he doesn't like it. That's what I don't understand. He's not happy but he won't stop what he's doing. I could be wrong - completely - and got the wrong end of the stick and it's just Harry putting thoughts into my head. But Hermione, please don't tell _anyone_."

"Of course," Hermione frowned. "I won't tell anyone, but are the two of you okay? I mean, you're still friends, you didn't fall out?"

"I think we came to some kind of understanding."

"Understanding?" Hermione repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, he knows that I don't trust him like I used to, when he was staying."

Hermione sighed and stood up, "I'm just not sure what I think of him." She climbed under her duvet and rested back onto her pillows. "On the one hand, I think he's trouble, and that you'd be better off without him. But on the other hand ... there's something about you two."

"Maybe," Allegra got under her covers so she could undress and get ready to go to sleep. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"So when does this stop being painful and start being fun?"

It was the end of another Animagi lesson with Professor McGonagall and Allegra's feet and hands were aching as though she had just climbed Mount Everest.

"Probably not for a year," McGonagall smiled honestly. "But you're doing well. By the summer I imagine we'll be getting close. Then we can start thinking about using adrenaline to push you over into a full change."

Allegra collected her bag and jacket and walked towards the door.

"What about changing back?"

"It's an automatic response from your body. It won't be a problem."

"See you tomorrow, Professor."

"Yes, good night, Allegra."

Allegra left McGonagall's room and started back towards the Gryffindor common room. The walk back was quiet since it was getting close to curfew, so Allegra was surprised when she bumped into the new boy, Ethan.

"Hi, Allegra," he smiled. "You can't give me detention for being out after curfew, can you? I've had enough of them."

Allegra smiled and laughed lightly, "no, I don't think so. Did you just have detention?"

"Yeah," he messed up his blond hair in the same fashion that Draco and Blaise did with theirs.

"What did you do?"

"Oh, everything around me seems to explode," he grinned. "What about you?"

"I had a meeting with McGonagall about quidditch," she told him convincingly.

"Oh, I didn't think she would have much interest in it."

"Oh she does," Allegra nodded, stopping now that they were near the corridor Ethan would need to go down to get to his common room. "She's a huge fan."

Ethan threw his head back laughing and then raised his eyebrows at her, his deep brown eyes were glinting with amusement.

"Sorry, I was just imagining her being a hardcore beater." Allegra burst out laughing and shook her head. "Sorry," he grinned.

"No, no, that's awesome."

"Well, I'll see you soon, Allegra." He grinned, waved, and walked away towards the Ravenclaw portrait. Allegra also carried on towards hers, and wondered why Ginny hadn't pounced on him, he was extremely good looking. Sandy blond hair, dark eyes you could get lost in, and a jaw to die for. He was perhaps a little small for Allegra's tastes, to be fair to him he was a year younger than her, but Ginny seemed to have something against him. She spoke to Ethan just fine, but it reminded Allegra of the way Ginny had spoken to Draco in the summer; polite, but unnatural. Every time Ethan was mention in a conversation she would make sure everyone knew that he gave her bad vibes.

Perhaps if Ginny had been a master of divination then Allegra would listen to her, but Allegra guessed the most likely reason for the dislike was that he was too good looking and she was with Dean, and therefore had decided that anyone she can't have has something wrong with them


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Winter fell upon Hogwarts suddenly, like a thick frosty blanket. Allegra felt like Autumn had happened in only a matter of days, when the sun was still warm enough to enjoy walking outside in the golden yellow leaves. Now winter had come it was either torrential rain, freezing temperatures, or both. Quidditch practice had gotten to a stage where some days there just wasn't any point; no one was enjoying themselves, and no one could go at any speed without their face going numb.

Allegra decided that she would rather lose a match with a happy, healthy team than win with one that had grown to hate her and the game.

The Christmas decorations went up unusually early, it was still November when the trees stood waiting to be dressed in the Entrance Hall. On the first of December they were all distributed and decorated. It gave Allegra an odd feeling, because the first of December didn't really feel like Christmas at all.

The Seventh Years had been given some control of the decorations, and a new addition they had brought in was mistletoe. It shouldn't have been a big deal, nothing more than a place for couples to kiss without being told to get moving, but some of the mistletoe was jinxed. If you walked under it at the same time as a member of the opposite sex it would stop you from moving any further until one of the pair's lips had touched the other's skin. This just caused a lot of awkward hand kissing. Apart from one unfortunate time Allegra had passed Luke near the entrance to what had been renamed Mistletoe Lane (as it had mistletoe more frequently than it did lights) and he had picked her up and carried her to the nearest one and placed a big smooch on her, she had managed to avoid most of it.

Whenever she was with Harry groups of girls would follow them or gather near mistletoe hoping to catch him under it. A few girls caught him unawares, but he soon clocked which corridors had jinxed mistletoe and which didn't.

The Ron and Hermione situation did not alleviate any with the festive season. Ron and Lavender were still in their 'honeymoon' phase. Harry seemed to come off worst, often becoming the third wheel to Ron and the leech. Whereas Hermione seemed to be spending less time studying and more time bitching and scheming with Allegra.

"I'm not sure which Ron I prefer," Harry said one evening when he and Allegra had found a moment alone in front of the fire. Hermione had gone to find Cormac McLaggen, the chosen decoy, with any luck. Ron and Lavender were likely in an empty classroom kissing as Pavarti was in a corner of the common room without Lavender. "I'm glad he's happy again and everything, but -"

"His ego has gotten far too big."

"Yeah, and he's always with her," Harry continued. "I don't have anything against Lavender, but bloody hell, how can you _live_ with her?"

"Because I'm used to it," Allegra replied with a small smile, "plus her and Pavarti aren't usually there when I am apart from sleeping. I don't spend much time in there."

"I think it's just her laugh that's the worst. It's so high pitch and repetitive, kind of like -" Harry did an impression that sounded like a cross between a donkey and a hummingbird, "and she finds _everything_ funny."

"I know," Allegra nodded, remembering a few days ago when she had told her that her feet were cold and she had laughed hysterically for two long minutes.

"I don't think we've been a solid group of four for a long time ... not since third year, or something ridiculous." Harry threw a ball of paper into the fireplace with force, and Allegra silently levitated it back into the fire when it bounced out onto the carpet.

"I think that's a bit exaggerated," Allegra mediated with a smile, "I think we just remember when they squabble more than when they don't."

"Well it feels like it." There was a long pause while Allegra turned a page of the magazine resting on her crossed legs and a paper advert fell out into Harry's lap. He picked it up and looked at the subscription offer on the page.

"You want this one?"

"Already subscribed," Allegra stated and Harry began scrunching it up.

"And the worst thing is that I know he still thinks about 'Mione, and is bothered that she's not speaking to him." He threw the ball into the fire and this time it stayed. "I think he wanted to go to Slughorn's party with her. Because the other night he was trying to justify why he wasn't going, saying that he hadn't _promised_ to go with her."

"I know, he's never been any good at handling social things. He doesn't think."

"Who doesn't think?" Hermione had come into the common room without either of them noticing.

"Ron," Allegra told her simply as she sat down in an armchair that sat on a right angle to the sofa Allegra and Harry were on.

"He's not here, is he?" She looked around quickly.

"No," Harry sighed. Hermione wouldn't stay in the common room if Ron was there, which meant that contrary to what Allegra had just told Harry, they were spending a lot of time in their dorm room.

"Good." Hermione relaxed and slumped into the deep cushions of her chair.

"He's off sucking Lavender's face somewhere," Harry said, throwing another paper Ad from the magazine.

"He's perfectly at liberty to kiss whomever he likes," Hermione said, opening a book in her lap with a similar aggression to Harry's. "I really couldn't care less."

Allegra raised an eyebrow at her, they both knew full well that wasn't true. Hermione looked up from her book and watched as Harry reached down beside him and opened his Potions book in his lap.

"And incidentally," she said after a few moments. "You need to be careful."

"For the last time, I am not giving back this book, I've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than Snape and Slughorn put to-"

"I'm not talking about your stupid Prince," she glanced down at the book and gave it a filthy look, "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the bathroom just before I came in here and there were a dozen girls in there, including Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. They're all hoping you're going to take them to Slughorn's party, and all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm going to say probably work -"

"Why didn't you confiscate them, then?" Harry asked.

"They didn't have them with them, just discussing how they could do it. I doubt even the _Half-Blood Prince_ has an antidote for a dozen love potions at once. I'd just invite someone to go with you - that'll stop them from thinking they've still got a chance. It's in a week; they've still got time to slip you something."

"There isn't anyone I want to invite," Harry mumbled, and Allegra and Hermione shared a knowing look. It wasn't that there wasn't anyone he wanted, it was that the one person he wanted already had an invite and had asked her boyfriend to go with her weeks ago.

"Well just be careful what you eat and drink, because Romilda looked like she was pretty determined."

"Hang on; I thought Filch had banned anything bought from Fred and George?"

"When has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch bans?"

"But I thought everything was getting searched? How can they bring love potions into school?"

"Fred and George are disguising them as perfumes and cough medicines, it's part of their Owl Order Service."

"You seem to know a lot about it."

Hermione gave him a nasty look.

"It was on the back of the bottles they showed us in the summer, I don't go around putting potions in people's drinks ... or pretending to, either, which is just as bad ..."

"Yeah, well, never mind that."

"And Allegra, you ought to sort out if Malfoy is going to go with you to the party or not, as if he pulls out just before you're not going to want to go by yourself, then you won't go and just sulk, and I don't want to be there with McLaggen by myself."

"Malfoy? McLaggen?" Harry said looking pained, "what is this? Date-Boys-Harry-Hates-Day?"

"Me and Draco aren't dating, and I don't know if he's going to come with me yet."

"Why didn't you invite Blaise? Or ideally someone not Slytherin."

"Because Blaise and I agreed that the only way Draco would come was if I asked, Blaise can't really turn up with him, can he? Plus he doesn't need an invite."

"Yeah, well I'd sort that out tomorrow, Ali, otherwise you won't have time to find someone else."

"Yeah, I'll sort it."

"Hi Harry!" Romilda appeared in front of Allegra, grinning at Harry.

"Oh, Hi, er -"

"Speak of the devil," Hermione mumbled, looking down at her book.

"Fancy a Gillywater?"

"No thanks," Harry mumbled. "I don't really like them."

"Well, take these anyway," Romilda dropped a box into his lap. "Chocolate Cauldrons, it's the Firewhisky - I don't like it, so you can have them."

"Oh, right, thanks a lot, Romilda ..." Harry smiled faintly at her and she stood their smiling back. "Well, um, I've got homework to do, so ..." Harry pointed dumbly at the Potions book at his side.

"Oh, yeah of course, see you later Harry!" She smiled and walked off towards her friends who were giggling in one of the far corners of the room.

"I'm glad she took the hint," Allegra smirked, "that was really awkward."

"Make sure you don't eat those, Harry," Hermione repeated.

"Not unless you want to become a sex slave," Allegra grinned, and Harry rolled his eyes and shoved the box into her hands.

"You eat them, Ali, that _would_ be funny."

"Nah, save them, we'll give them to someone we don't like at some point. April fools or something ..."

"I don't think I'm going to come ..." Draco told Allegra. She had cornered him down in the dungeons before dinner to find out if he would be going with her to Slughorn's Christmas Party next week.

"Oh, for goodness sake, why not?" she asked with a sigh.

"Well, it would just be a good idea to, you know ..."

"Go and do something stupid while everyone is out of the way?" she snapped at him.

"I'm sorry."

"It's just a few hours, Draco."

"I'm sorry. Are you going to ask someone else?"

"Well obviously, I don't want to be the only person without a date," Draco didn't make any effort to keep what he thought of this idea from his face. "You can't have it both ways, you either come with me or I go with someone else." Draco looked torn, he knew he needed the time but he didn't want to miss out.

"Do you know who you're going to ask?"

"No. I had hoped I wouldn't have to ask someone else," Draco's expression flickered from pleasure to remorse. "But I guess I'm going to have to start looking, I have less than a week." Allegra made sure to keep the pissed off expression firmly on her features.

"I could find someone for you," Draco smiled.

"Ah - nah," Allegra laughed, "I want someone that I would actually want to go on a date with." Draco's smile left his face so fast Allegra couldn't remember what it had looked like.

"What about that Longbottom guy?"

"I said someone that I think is -"

"Or that Finnegan boy?"

"- hot, Draco. If you're going to make suggestions make it someone hot."

"They are hot."

"No, Draco, they're not."

"They are in my opinion."

"Only in your opinion for me." Allegra stared at him and his eyes shimmered.

"I don't want you to go with anyone hot."

"Well you gave that up when you weren't the guy going with me." Draco made a sulky expression, but followed when she moved to walk to dinner.

"It's not a privilege I chose to give up -"

"Yes you did, unless you get me a written note explaining to me that you _have_ to be somewhere, then you gave it up by choice. Can you get me that?"

"No."

"Then stop sulking. I should be the one sulking. I've got to find someone to go with."

Dinner wasn't an easy affair. Allegra, Hermione, Harry and Ron sat together.

"I've invited Luna to the party," Harry blurted out as Allegra ate a potato. She coughed on it and then spat it out, the surrounding students gave her a disgusted look and Hermione simply handed her a napkin, it wasn't the first time.

"Luna?" Allegra repeated, wiping her hands and mouth with the napkin and scrunching it inside her fist.

"I think Luna's a lovely choice, Harry," Hermione smiled at him.

"As a friend," Harry added hastily in Allegra's direction.

"Well, it will get those little girls off your back." Allegra re-ate the half-chewed potato to the sound of people grimacing.

"You could have chosen _anyone_ ," Ron said in disbelief, " _anyone!_ And you chose Loony Lovegood?"

"Don't call her that, Ron," Ginny scalded as she passed on her way to sit with Dean. "I'm really glad you're taking her, Harry, she's so excited."

Harry looked down at his food with a confused expression.

"I'm just going to the bathroom," Hermione whispered to Allegra, getting up and avoiding looking in Ron's direction as she passed him. Harry noticed Ron watching Hermione leave.

"You could just say sorry," Harry said blankly.

"What, and get attacked by another flock of canaries?" Ron muttered. Allegra glared at him briefly and then looked down at her food.

"What did you imitate her for?" Harry asked.

"She laughed at my moustache!"

"So did I, it was ridiculous." Harry told him. Ron hadn't listened, because Lavender had come in and started squeezing herself in between Harry and Ron, and flung her arms around him. Pavarti sat opposite them a little way down from Allegra.

"Hi Harry," Pavarti said, looking slightly embarrassed and bored by her friend's behaviour.

"Hi," Harry smiled. "You're staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave."

"I managed to talk them out of it for the time being," she replied as Allegra watched Hermione walking back in with a sly smile on her face. "That Katie thing really freaked them out, but there hasn't been anything since ... oh, hi, Hermione!" Pavarti beamed as Hermione took her seat next to Allegra, and Hermione beamed back just as brightly.

"Hi, Pavarti!" Hermione smiled, only taking a moment to glare at Ron and Lavender. "Are you going to Slughorn's party on Saturday night?"

"No invite," Pavarti said gloomily. "But I'll help you two get ready if you like?" She smiled, nodding to include Allegra in the conversation; she had a feeling Pavarti was getting lonely without Lavender with her all the time. "I would have loved to go, though, it sounds like it's going to be alright... what time do you have to be there?"

"Well, I'm meeting Cormac at eight and we're -" Ron made a spluttering noise as he seemed to drown in his drink, but Hermione merely glanced in his direction and carried on. "- we're going up to the party together. I'm not sure what Allegra's doing, but -"

"Cormac?" Pavarti interrupted eagerly. "Cormac McLaggen, you mean?"

"Yeah, the one who _almost_ became Gryffindor Keeper."

"Are you going out with him, then?"

"Oh - yes - didn't you know?" Hermione giggled and shot Allegra a grin that she had to return, she was enjoying the look on Ron's face that hadn't quite decided if it was jealous, angry, confused, upset or nonchalant.

"No!" Pavarti gasped. "Wow, you like your quidditch players, don't you? First Krum, now McLaggen ..."

"I like really _good_ quidditch players," Hermione corrected subtly. "Well, I've got to go and do some work in the library, you coming, Ali?" She stood up and smiled down at Allegra, and Allegra could see how happy she was behind her eyes.

"I'll be up as soon as I've finished my dinner, see you there."

And Hermione left, practically dancing down the aisle. Lavender and Pavarti immediately put their heads together to gossip about this new relationship. Allegra finished up and then stood to go and get some work from her dorm room and glanced at Ron; he had a blank expression and was staring deep into his empty plate.

Allegra joined Hermione in the library and they got started on their work. After a while Hermione got up to find some books and left Allegra concentrating on some Potions work.

The dropping of books onto the desk startled Allegra out of her daze and she looked up to see Ethan pulling out the chair opposite her.

"Sorry, you were further away than I thought," he grinned as he took his seat and then frisked himself for his quill.

"Yeah," she muttered dozily, "I was miles away."

"Are you doing Potions work, too?" He smiled.

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"Presumably you chose it?" he smiled and frowned.

"Yes," Allegra frowned, "I'm not sure what I was thinking."

"I have absolutely no intention of carrying it on."

"I think that's for the best," Allegra grinned. The two carried on talking about various mundane topics until Hermione eventually returned. She was flushed, and Allegra wondered if she had been attacked by her new boyfriend.

"I think it worked," Hermione dropped a number of ancient looking volumes onto the table and noisily pulled out a chair. "Ron looked a bit strange, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I think it's working," Allegra grinned slyly.

"What's working?" Ethan asked.

"Oh nothing, don't worry," Hermione giggled.

"Well, it obviously is something," he smiled.

"Yeah, it's just Allegra-Hermione stuff," Allegra smiled, "sorry."

"Right," he nodded.

"So, did you talk to Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Allegra said with a sullen expression.

"See? This is why I warned you, I thought he might say no."

"What happened?" Ethan asked with interest.

"I asked one of my best friends to Slughorn's party but he said no."

"No?" Ethan repeated, disbelief written all over his face. "Why the hell did he say no?"

"It doesn't matter. He has his reasons," Allegra mumbled, and then shrugged. "It's not the end of the world."

"Did you like him?" Ethan asked. It was a bit personal, and Hermione immediately turned to look at Allegra.

"No," she shook her head.

"Is it alright if we leave now?" Hermione asked. Allegra nodded, they said their goodbyes to Ethan and Hermione pulled Allegra from the library.

"Hermione, what's the rush?"

"How long do I have to do this for?"

"Do what for?"

"Go out with him."

"Until Ron has gone insane with jealousy," Allegra said casually.

"And how long will that take?"

"As long as it takes."

"He's a leech."

"Really?" Allegra pursed her lips and imagined Cormac being the clingy type. "I can kinda see that."

Hermione made wide eyes at her and shook her head.

"Are my lips white?"

"What? No," Allegra laughed under her breath.

"Because I'm surprised he hasn't sucked the blood from them. I'm going to ask him if there are any vampires in the family."

"That's pretty unlikely, Hermione, it would take someone with some serious balls to date a vampire."

Vampires are to humans what coyotes are to dogs: the wild other half that are more than willing to eat smaller, weaker versions of themselves, and only occasionally do you get one that is civilized enough to live among humans.

"I have my suspicions. Anyway, how did you deal with Malfoy?" Hermione asked as Allegra said the password to the portrait and stepped through into the common room.

"I didn't really need to, he didn't much like the idea of me going with someone else."

"Surprise surprise," Hermione waved her hands in the air. "So, who are you going to ask?"

Allegra was silent.

"Allegra! You _are_ going to ask someone." Hermione turned back to glance at Allegra from a couple of stairs further up.

"I don't want to go with anyone else."

Hermione sighed in frustration, and then glanced back at Allegra again sympathetically. She'd had a hunch that Allegra was more upset about Malfoy than she was letting on.

"Well why don't you ask someone like I asked Cormac? Pick someone who will make him jealous."

"Oh, anyone remotely good looking will make him jealous," Allegra smiled, walking into the dorm room and over to their half of the room.

"So what about that guy, Ethan, he seemed pretty nice." Hermione sat down on her bed and looked at Allegra. Allegra copied her.

"Ethan, really?" She looked down at her feet. "Maybe, I don't know him very well."

"That doesn't matter - in fact, that's better. Plus he is very obviously good looking. You might as well ask."

"Okay, I'll do that."

"Good, now we've both got the same goals." Hermione smiled and climbed onto her bed properly and reached for a notebook.

"Okay, but it's not quite the same," Allegra said.

"Yes it is," Hermione said immediately, "even if you don't know it, I do."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you must like Draco, Allegra." Allegra went to laugh but Hermione kept her serious expression and continued. "For as long as I've known you, you have always checked out good looking guys, made comments about them, flirted with them. Even while you were with Cedric. Obviously I didn't expect you to be like that after he died, but I have been waiting for you to go back to normal and you haven't. It's because of him. He came along and you haven't so much as checked another guy out."

"I don't think that means -"

"Plus, you're going through hell for him trying to convince everyone, including yourself, that he's not up to anything. Why would you bother with any of that if you don't want him around?"

"I'm not convincing myself, I know what he's doing is stupid, and I do want him around. I would do that for any of you - including Blaise, who you seem to have forgotten."

"I haven't. Ron, Harry, and Blaise; you've been friends with since childhood. Draco only a year and a half. Does that tell you nothing?"

"I don't -"

"Can you imagine not being able to talk to him?"

"No, but -"

"Ali, can you truthfully look me in the eye and say that you don't want him like that?"

"Yes."

"That was an outright lie, and you know it."

"I do."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next day Allegra and Hermione were walking down to lunch, when they were attacked from behind by a pack of wild boys.

"What the hell?" Allegra said, having to stoop as someone jumped in between them and put their arms around their necks.

"So, you having fun with Ethan last night, Allegra?" Allegra didn't know the boy wedged between them, but she recognised his face.

"Yeah, she did," Hermione said. Allegra forced herself up straight and looked around at the other boys crowding around her and eventually spotted Ethan walking behind the main group, looking horribly embarrassed. The boys whooped at Hermione's answer, and Hermione managed to free herself from the boy in the middle, something Allegra seemed unable to do. "In fact," Hermione continued, glancing back at Ethan, "she'd like to ask him to Slughorn's Christmas Party."

The boys made more noise better suited to a quidditch match, and Allegra looked straight down the stairs in front of her. She wondered if she could get away with setting this boy's arm on fire without setting her hair alight. Probably not, also, Hermione wouldn't think that was a very good way to use her abilities. Though the mental image did something for Allegra.

"So, what do ya say, Eth?" One of the boys asked while they all grinned.

"Er, sure, if Allegra actually wants to," he said. The boys did some more mannish hooting and filtered past the girls and down the stairs. Allegra was finally freed, and Ethan filled the spot between Hermione and Allegra. "You do actually want me to come with you, right?"

"Yeah, I do," Allegra nodded.

"Well, that's good then," he smiled. "I'll have to talk to you about it later, though, or I'll lose that rowdy lot."

"Okay, see you later." He jogged down the stairs and away. Allegra turned to Hermione and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked innocently, continuing her way down the stairs.

"What was that?"

"I just wanted to help move things along."

"Well, thanks, but you could have helped when there weren't another eight boys to join in." Hermione looked at Allegra with a smirk that was definitely proud of herself.

"I wanted more people to find out who you are taking," she stated, manoeuvring around two girls who were sat on the stairs. Allegra looked at Hermione as if she'd lost her mind.

"Why?"

"Because then Malfoy will hear it from someone before you tell him, and that way he'll get more jealous." When Allegra looked impressed, Hermione added, "I learnt that from you."

Saturday, the day of the party, arrived so quickly it seemed to Allegra that it had bumped Friday off the calendar completely.

Pavarti spent the day with Allegra and Hermione, which Allegra found to be a pleasant change, since she couldn't remember the last time they had spent a full day together. Pavarti helped Allegra find Ethan to tell him what time she'd meet him outside the Ravenclaw common room – eight – and he seemed excited. Allegra felt a little guilty about that. She couldn't muster up much enthusiasm.

After an early dinner Allegra showered and tried to find a dress she could wear, in the depths of her trunk. She found a rather boring Little Black Dress, with three-quarter-length-sleeves and a neck that skimmed her collar bones, but it clung to every curve of her body so she deemed it party material. When the other girls saw what she had put on, they looked a little disappointed.

"Black?" Hermione said. "We're going to a Christmas party, and you choose black?"

Allegra frowned and sat back on her heels from where she had been routing around in the bottom of their shared wardrobe for a pair of shoes.

"It's tight," she said.

"Yeah," Pavarti nodded, "I think it will be okay. Put a bit of jewellery on, or some coloured shoes…"

"Don't get me wrong, it looks good – you always look good, but don't you want to wear something more… exciting?" Hermione asked.

Allegra reached back into the wardrobe and pulled out a pair of gold high heels.

"Exciting enough for you?"

Hermione looked like her answer was no, but she didn't press Allegra. Hermione was wearing a black and pink lace dress with some large sparkly earrings.

The last thing Allegra needed was her clutch bag, which she used exclusively for parties. It contained a few items of touch-up make-up, some money, and her invisibility cloak. She also used to add her wand, but since she didn't really need it anymore she didn't bother wedging it in.

"You both look so pretty," Pavarti smiled, grabbing her camera and taking a few pictures before Hermione and Allegra had a chance to run for it. "So you two can remember the evening!"

Allegra just hoped it was going to be an evening they _wanted_ to remember.

Allegra said goodbye to Hermione and Cormac at the corridor that led down to the Ravenclaw portrait. Ethan was waiting outside, as agreed. He was wearing a silver-grey suit and a navy metallic shirt, with his top buttons open. His shoes were black and matt, something Allegra was pleased to see, otherwise he'd probably have been too shiny to look at.

Allegra had to admit, he looked good.

"Allegra, you look great," he smiled, and gave her a hug. With her heels on she was almost taller than him, a feeling she disliked and it made her want to take them off.

"Thanks, you scrub up well; I didn't know you had a good fashion sense," Allegra smiled and played a little with the front of his suit jacket.

"I know how to put an outfit together," he smiled crookedly and they began the walk to Slughorn's rooms.

Slughorn had decorated the ceiling with emerald, crimson and gold hangings. The room was crowded, a little stuffy, and bathed in red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the centre of the ceiling. Fairies fluttered all around above people's heads, each shining a different colour of light.

Loud singing accompanied classical music, not particularly well, by Allegra's standards, nor Ethan's, judging by the look on his face, but they were singing Christmas carols. The whole room was filled with smoke from the various old warlocks who were smoking huge cigars, and a number of house elves were negotiating their way through the forest of knees, with huge silver platters above their heads. They looked like little tables running around.

"Allegra, m'dear!" Slughorn shouted across the room when he spotted her standing in the doorway. "Come in, come in, there are a lot of people here that would like to meet you!" Slughorn elbowed his way through the crowd and guided her forward with an arm around her shoulders in a fatherly manner. "I had invited your father, actually, but…" Allegra quickly grabbed Ethan's hand and pulled him along with them, there was no way she was enduring this alone. "It's a shame he couldn't make it."

"Yes, well, he's very busy, as always," Allegra muttered absently, looking back at Ethan and mimicking shooting herself.

Ethan laughed, barely audible over all the party noise.

"Hopefully he'll be able to attend another meeting later in the year?"

"Yes, I'm sure he'd love to, I will talk to him." Slughorn was wearing a tassled velvet hat and the hat matched his velvet burgundy jacket. He weaved through the crowd and led her up to a small weedy man and a tall and just as thin man with dark shadows under his eyes.

"I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, he wrote Blood Borthers: My Life Amongst the Vampires – and, of course, his friend Sanguini. Eldred, this is Allegra Boone, Michael Boone's daughter."

"Oh, yes! I read about you in the paper." Worple grabbed hold of her hand and shook it with his sweaty, clammy one. The Vampire nodded at her; he looked bored. Allegra wondered why he hadn't eaten Warple yet, he didn't seem like very entertaining company. "I really would love to hear of your exploits, if you get a chance to tell them later in the evening."

There wasn't any chance of Allegra telling him anything, and she guessed that this showed on her face, since an amused smile grew on the vampire's face. Luckily, Worple didn't seem to notice it.

"Well yes, of course, _later_ in the evening."

"I'm sorry, Allegra, someone else has just arrived, we'll continue this later…" Slughorn wandered off and Allegra nodded politely at Warple and Sanguini before pulling Ethan away as fast as she could.

"Well, that seemed like fun," Ethan grinned.

"Yes, I love meeting random nutters and telling them of my 'exploits'." Ethan laughed as Allegra grabbed two glasses of something-pink of the moving tables and handed one to Ethan.

"Do you think you will tell him something?" Ethan asked, looking fairly interested himself.

"No, I don't tell random people things about me that they could make money from."

Ethan looked around awkwardly and then into his glass.

"Do you think this is safe?"

Allegra looked down at the almost florescent pink liquid and smirked at him.

"I'm not sure, but I hope it's alcoholic." Ethan laughed and threw the drink back. Allegra took a sip instead – not a good move. "Oh, wow – yeah, definitely alcoholic." It had a kick like nothing of a pink nature should. She steadied herself and downed the rest of it.

"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn boomed over the noise.

"I'm guessing Harry's here," Ethan said.

"Subtle, that Slughorn. Can you see anyone we know?" They peered around from the edge of the room.

"I can see a few Ministry people I recognise, but they won't be good conversation."

Allegra grimaced and shook her head, "No, I think we'll just keep to ourselves until someone finds us."

They chatted for a while until Hermione came squeezing through the crowd towards them.

"Oh, Allegra, thank god," she said, flushed and breathless.

"What's the matter?" Hermione blew her hair out of her face, but before she could answer, Harry came hurrying over with Luna in tow.

"Hermione! Hermione!"

"Harry, there you are! Hi, Luna!"

"Hi Allegra, Ethan,' Harry said. "What happened to you?" he asked Hermione.

"Oh, I've just escaped – I mean, I've just left Cormac under the mistletoe."

"Serves you right for coming with him," Harry told her.

"I thought he'd annoy Ron the most," Hermione said, in a moment of candour Allegra thought she probably should have kept to herself. "We debated a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought on the whole –"

" _We_? You considered _Smith_?" Harry said severely.

"Allegra and I, and yes, we did, and I'm starting to wish we'd chosen him. McLaggen makes Grawp look like a gentleman. Let's go over here, we'll see him coming, he's so tall…"

"Why aren't I surprised this was your idea, Allegra?" Harry asked, in a fatherly tone, following Hermione deeper into the party.

"I don't know, Harry, why aren't you surprised?"

Ethan barked a laugh and Harry rolled his eyes. Unfortunately, the spot Hermione decided to stop at was also where Professor Trelawney was standing alone.

"Hello," Luna greeted politely.

"Good evening, my dear, I haven't seen you in my classes lately…"

"No, I've got Firenze this year."

"Oh, of course," Professor Trelawney said with an angry drunken stumble. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no… we share classes… it's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know…" She carried on lecturing poor Luna, who looked a little distressed by what her teacher was telling her.

"Let's get something straight," Harry said, turning his back on Trelawney to focus on Hermione. "Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Tryouts?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows and Allegra frowned.

"Do you really think I'd stoop that low?"

"Hermione, if you can ask out McLaggen –"

"There's a difference," she said sternly. "I've got no plans to tell Ron anything about what might, or might not, have happened at Tryouts. I don't have any plans on talking to him at all, in fact."

"Watch out, Hermione," Ethan said, pointing through the crowd at McLaggen who was making his way towards the group.

"Oh no!" Hermione moved so fast it was as though she had apparated; one moment she was there, the next she wasn't.

"Seen Hermione?" McLaggen asked only seconds later.

"No sorry," Harry said, turning his back to him.

"I saw her earlier when I came in, I think she may have gone to the bathroom," Allegra smiled sincerely.

"Alright, thanks," he moved off back into the crowd, pushing people out of the way as he went.

"You lie well," Ethan said, leaning in towards Allegra so he didn't have to scream.

"Only when I have to," Allegra smiled.

"Harry Potter!" Trelawney had managed to focus on him.

"Oh, hello, Professor," he mumbled.

"Quick, let's get out of here," Allegra grabbed Ethan's arm and pulled him away from the danger zone. The last thing she wanted was to have brought Ethan to a party and make him listen to drunk teachers' moaning. "I'm sorry," she smiled at him, a little embarrassed. "This isn't the kind of party I meant to bring anyone decent to."

Ethan laughed heartily, "Oh, don't worry. It's kinda funny." He glanced at an old fat wizard who was gently swaying alone to the music, half-empty glass clutched to his side.

"In a tragic sort of way," Allegra watched the man for a moment longer. "Anyway, what are you doing for Christmas?"

They talked until Hermione reappeared. Shortly after, Allegra found her attention was pulled elsewhere: Draco was being shoved inside by Flitch.

"Bugger," Allegra mumbled inadequately, and Hermione and Ethan followed her gaze. "Hermione, could you entertain Ethan for a minute, I won't be long…"

"Professor Slughorn," Flich wheezed, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?" Draco yanked free of Filch's talons.

"Alright, that's not completely true. I was invited, but I wasn't going to come. I realised I'd made a mistake and was going to try and get in anyway, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" Filch said, completely at odds with the glee on his face. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the Headmaster say that night-time prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"I'm a Prefect!" Draco said.

"That's alright, Argus, that's alright," Slughorn said, waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Who invited you, Draco?"

"I did," Allegra said, though she was watching Draco with a confused expression.

"Well then, just this once we'll forget any punishment and you may stay, Draco."

Filch looked outraged, and utterly disappointed. Draco was avoiding Allegra's eyes, and she could tell by the way he was dressed that there was no way he was really coming to the party. He'd just needed an excuse for doing whatever shady thing he was doing.

"Thank you, Professor, you are incredibly generous," Draco said, with an entirely fake smile on his face. Allegra looked around for Blaise, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"It's nothing, nothing," Slughorn said, waving away Draco's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all…"

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," Draco said smoothly. "Said you were the best potions-maker he'd ever known, was disappointed that you were no longer teaching when I started school…" Allegra stared at him, and he seemed to be making an effort to not see her.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," Snape said suddenly.

"Oh, now, Severus," Slughorn said. "It's Christmas, don't be too hard –"

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," Snape said curtly. "Follow me, Draco."

They left, Snape leading the way, Draco following looking resentful. Allegra counted to five then followed, without saying a word to anyone. Once she was outside the door, she pulled out her invisibility cloak and threw it over herself. She hurried after Snape and Draco and followed as closely as she could, trying to make as little noise as possible. The noise from the party helped cover the light tapping of her stilettos on the flagstone floor. She watched Snape and Draco disappear into an empty classroom and Allegra stood near the door to listen.

Suddenly she was thumped in the back by something hard.

"Ow!" Allegra hissed, rubbing her shoulder blade.

"Allegra?"

"Harry?"

"What are you doing here? Are Snape and Malfoy in that room?"

"Shh! Yes."

"You're following them too!" Harry whispered excitedly.

"No, no I'm not."

"Yes you are, you don't trust him either!"

"No, Harry, you don't understand –"

"Shhh!"

"…cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled –"

"I didn't have anything to do with it, alright?"

"I hope you are telling me the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected in having a hand in it."

"It wasn't me," Draco repeated sternly. "That Bell girl must've had an enemy or something – don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, I can stop you!" There was a long pause and then Snape said quietly, "ah… I see Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your Master, Draco?"

"It's none of your business," he said, and after a short pause, added, "It's to stop you butting in!"

"So that is why you've been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realise, had anyone else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco –"

"Just put me in detention then."

"You know perfectly well I don't want to do that."

"Well stop asking me to come to your office, then."

"Listen to me," Snape said, low and threatening. "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco –"

"I know. But how do I know that Master will be true to his word if I have help? I can't risk it –"

"You're questioning your Master?"

"I don't want to do this and then get stabbed in the back. I have a plan, and it's going to work. It's just taking longer, there's been other things –"

"Draco, you should stop busying yourself with your social life and get on with it! What are you doing? I can help you."

"I don't need your input. Everything is going to work out the way I want it to; I don't need you to chance anything."

"I understand that the threat of your Mother and Father's lives on your shoulders is a huge burden –"

There was barely a seconds warning before Draco storming out of the room and strode off in the opposite direction to the party. Both Allegra and Harry froze as Snape emerged from the room, expression blank, and returned to the party.

"Fuck," was the first word for Allegra to murmur as Harry pulled both cloaks off of them. She knew why Draco was doing it now, but what was he doing? Harry's expression was flushed, his mind racing.

How the hell was she going to go back to the party and have a nice normal time with Ethan, when all she wanted to do was run after Draco and make sure Harry understood what she knew, and then sit alone in a darkened room?

"He is – I mean he must be! Do you see, Allegra? Do you see?"

"We have to talk about this," Allegra picked up her invisibility cloak and stuffed it back into her bag. "But not now, we have to get back to the party."

Harry looked disappointed, but nodded. "Tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow."

"What just happened?" Ethan asked when Allegra returned with Harry.

"The best friend turned up," Allegra said, her eyes scanning the remaining party guests.

"That was the guy you asked before?" Ethan asked. "Did he regret not coming?"

"I don't think so."

Allegra took a moment to glance at Ethan and found is expression confused.

"Where did he go? I thought he was allowed to stay?"

"I don't know," she replied absently, a ghost of panic in her voice.

"Are you okay?"

"… I'm not sure."

"Do you want to leave? We don't have to stay if you don't want to. We can go outside, if we manage not to get caught."

Allegra scanned the party once more and then took a shuddering sigh. She pulled herself together and smiled at him.

"Yeah, let's do that."

They managed to find their way out onto a nearby balcony and the freezing air coated Allegra in a cold blanket, clearing her senses.

"Much better," she sighed.

They walked to the edge and looked out over Hogsmeade.

"Have you had a completely shit time?" Allegra asked.

"Not completely shit, no," he answered honestly, learning next to her on the balcony, staring out into the distance. The wind wasn't strong this evening, it was just bitterly cold. It felt like the perfect time for snow.

"Just a little shit then," Allegra laughed. "That's not too bad, considering."

"It seems strange that we're going home tomorrow."

"It does," she agreed. It seemed even stranger because Harry was due to stay with them this Christmas, since they had so much extra space and protection charms. Hermione was going home to her parents, since Ron was going such an ignorant pig.

Allegra had tried hard to convince her otherwise, but in the end Allegra couldn't blame her for not wanting to spend Christmas day being snapped at by Ronald Weasley. Instead, Allegra, Harry, Michael and Cassia would be spending Christmas day at the Burrow. Allegra couldn't wait to see Ron's other siblings.

"What are you thinking about?" Ethan laughed a little under his breath, he had been watching her changing expression.

"Going to Ron's for Christmas, his mum is pretty much both mine and Harry's surrogate mother." Allegra smiled wide, and genuine. "I lived with Ron for a while when I was seven and eight, after my mother died. Ron's been my best friend longer than I can remember."

Ethan considered this for a moment, and then his eyebrows met.

"Really? You don't seem that close…"

"That's because I'm being moody with him," Allegra replied cheerfully. Ethan laughed softly.

"How come?"

"Because he's acting like a complete dick to Hermione."

"Allegra," Ethan and Allegra turned to find Blaise standing in the doorway, in the shadow of the castle.

"Blaise? I've been looking for you. Are you alright?"

"I need to steal you," he said simply.

"Now?" Allegra said reluctantly, looking repeatedly at Ethan without moving her head, trying desperately to give Blaise the hint.

"Yes." He didn't get it, or didn't want it.

Allegra sighed and turned to Ethan and shrugged.

"Why don't you go back to the party and find Harry and Hermione, I'll be back there in a minute."

Ethan didn't look to happy about this development, and was frowning at Blaise, but he nodded and said he'd see her back there in a minute.

Allegra followed Blaise back into the castle and away from the balcony, and the party.

"What's going on, Blaise?"

"What happened to Draco?" he asked.

"What d'you mean?"

"I thought you were going to bring him!"

"I tried to!" Allegra said angrily. "He said no!"

"I know that, why did you bring that other guy?"

Allegra's eyes narrowed in a way that obviously said _you're insane_.

"Because Draco said no!" Allegra repeated. Blaise growled and stopped moving to look at her. "What's got your knickers in a twist?"

"The both of you!" he cried.

"What! What have I done? It's him who's being difficult!"

"Why can't the both of you just get it together?!"

Allegra wanted to hit him.

"Will you _please_ explain to me what the hell you are talking about?"

"You know full well what I'm talking about! You are running out of time!" He stared at her and she stared back.

"What does that even mean? Blaise, how much have you had to drink?"

"I need to tell him he's running out of time." And with that, Blaise spun on his heels and left her in the middle of the corridor.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Allegra and Hermione found a compartment alone on the train when they boarded.

"Is Cormac coming to sit with us?" Allegra asked Hermione, she had Crookshanks in her lap and was stroking his ginger fur with a smile on her face.

"Oh, I hope not – probably," she sighed. "I'm sorry for the PDA when he gets here, I don't want it. I hope he's allergic to cats."

"I'll try not to vomit," Allegra said. Hermione smiled apologetically. "Are you going to get him anything for Christmas?"

Hermione shrugged, "I think it's too late, and I'm at a complete loss for ideas. I'll just do something simple like sweets, or – I wonder if he'd think something muggle was quirky?"

"Maybe, I don't know him any better than you do."

They both turned to look out of the window at the passing Scottish countryside.

"Your dad is going to meet you at the station, isn't he?"

"Of course, and don't worry, if he wasn't a bunch of aurors were on stand by to take us home."

"Good, though I hope he doesn't get attacked by teenage boys wanting autographs."

The door flew open and Cormac and two of his friends appeared in the doorway. Allegra moved her things off the seats beside her reluctantly, so they could sit down.

After an hour of PDA and repetitive quidditch talk, Allegra couldn't take any more.

"Hermione," Allegra blurted, leaping to her feet. "I'm going to see the Slytherins."

"What?" Hermione squeaked.

"I won't be long," Allegra smiled, not feeling as sorry as she should, and departed the compartment as quickly as possible.

It took about ten minutes for Allegra to find Draco and Blaise. The first thing she noticed was that Pansy wasn't there. The second was Blaise smiling sheepishly a her.

"Alright Crazies?" she asked cooly, taking a seat beside Blaise.

"Yeah, sorry for being weird last night, I was imploding."

Allegra patted his leg. "That's okay. But you -" She looked at Draco, he was watching her with a hint of a smile. "You have some explaining to do."

"I think I should skip the explaining and just tell you I am very, very sorry. I'm sorry for not going to the party with you – that was a mistake, and I'm sorry for turning up attached to Filch."

"I think we should leave it at that," Allegra nodded, not wanting to press for more information since she actually knew from eavesdropping on Draco's private conversation. "So, appart from crappy home lives, are you looking forward to Christmas?"

"What are you getting me?" Draco grinned. "I always get you awesome presents."

Allegra looked down at the bracelet she was wearing and smiled, it meant a lot to her. When she looked up Draco was still smiling at her.

"I'm not sure yet, for either of you, but they'll be good, I promise."

Allegra was sure she was lying. How the hell was she going to do her Christmas shopping when she wasn't allowed outside? She had a horrible feeling she either wouldn't get out at all and would have to send her dad out with a long list, or do all of her shopping in a muggle shopping centre. "You both have to get me something good, Blaise – you're up against Draco, and Draco – you need to top yourself from last time. Also, Charlie's upped his game, so tough competition this year."

"Ah, the good looking Weasley," Blaise said. "My constant rival."

"Brown hair, works with dragons, seems to be adventurous and handsome. You have a thing for him," Draco added.

"I do not!"

"Yes you do," they both said.

"No, we've known each other since I was a toddler!"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You haven't kissed him, you mean."

Allegra gasped, huffed, crossed her arms and legs and looked out into the corridor in defiance. That wasn't true. Well, it was true that she hadn't kissed him but she didn't fancy him either.

"In fact," Blaise said with a grin, "with your best friends, you've kissed –"

"Stop! Don't say anything else." Allegra turned to glare at him, and he smiled mischievously.

"Fine, I won't say it." But Blaise was smirking as though he already had.

Allegra got back to Hermione an hour after she had left, and as soon as she stepped into the doorway, Hermione was out of her seat, pushing Allegra back out.

"We'll be back in a minute!" Hermione called over her shoulder.

"What?" Hermione pulled Allegra down the train.

"I can't stand it. And I think I remember you saying – although I must be wrong – that you wouldn't be long." She shot Allegra a glare, but didn't stop towing her along.

"I wasn't long," Hermione looked at her sternly. "Not really, in our length of a life time…" Hermione tutted and rolled her eyes. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"I think it's time you collected Harry," Hermione said. "We don't have long left on the train, and you need to be together when you get off. Cormac might leave too…"

Harry seemed rather relieved to leave, since they found Lavender all over Ron, and Hermione and Cormac's public displays were put to shame.

Ron, however, was not pleased.

"Harry, you don't need to go yet."

"They're right though, mate, I ought to go now. It's not like I won't see you in a few days." Ron just turned his glare on Hermione, but this time she really didn't seem to care. In fact, she seemed to be wearing a smug smile. When Ron pushed Lavender's hand away from his knee subconsciously, Allegra understood why.

Allegra fell asleep for the last hour of the trip, only waking up when the noise of excited children disturbed her.

"You sleep talk." Cormac was the first to speak to her. He hadn't left when Harry arrived, much to Hermione's disappointment, he merely recycled his conversation with Allegra about quidditch on Harry.

"I'm aware."

"Loudly. You had a conversation with Calvin about squirrels."

"Calvin?"

"Exactly." He gave Allegra a look as if to say, 'what is wrong with you?' and then kissed Hermione goodbye.

After Allegra and Harry had said their goodbyes to Hermione, they found Mike waiting for them on the platform. A number of small boys were nearby, glancing at him and whispering. Mike didn't seem to have noticed, and seemed much more excited about seeing Harry again.

"Harry! Good to see you! Right, we'd better be off – don't want to hang around anywhere with the both of you, let's go!" He offered each of them an arm and after giving them a moment to gather all of their things together, apparated from the platform.

They appeared in the entrance hall of Allegra's home with an echoing pop.

"Here we are," Mike smiled, releasing the teenagers. "Pick whatever room you like, Harry, and tell Cassia what your favourite pudding is, she'll almost certainly be able to make it for us."

"Thank you, Mike."

"Why do the guests get the best treatment?" Allegra said.

"Because they're guests," Mike smiled.

"I'm practically a guest!" Mike didn't look convinced. "Fine. Come along, Harry dearest, we have decorating to do. See you at dinner, father."

Mike rolled his eyes.

Harry followed Allegra obediently up to her room, and barely ten minutes had passed since they had dropped their bags when Harry said: "Can we talk now?"

Allegra ignored the question for a moment and started decorating the tree in her room. It was charmed to look almost black, and she was going to cover it in silver and light blue tinsel, ornaments and lights. She dug into the first box and released the fairy lights, which floated up and in and around the tree.

"Sure," Allegra nodded, finally committing herself to the inevitable - actually surprised Harry had kept a lid on it for this long, and paused to get a music channel up on the television so they could listen to Christmas songs.

"I want to talk about what happened last night, with Malfoy," Harry said, as if Allegra hadn't known what he was going to say. He sat down on the wooden chest at the end of her bed, a ballerina dancing on his palms, her silver skirts twirling and filling the space around her. She held on to the string attached to her head to keep it out of the way, as if it were her silver hair.

Allegra concentrated on getting a glass unicorn to stop wiggling long enough to hang it on the tree accurately, and then turned to look at Harry.

"Okay," she breathed, glancing back to see the unicorn galloping on the air. "I think he's a Death Eater."

Harry looked briefly surprised, and then stood to hang the ballerina. "I'd guessed that, Ali." He hung it high as he could, and it carried on dancing.

"He doesn't want to be one, though, Harry. He doesn't have a choice."

"What do you mean he doesn't have a choice? How do you know he's not just told you that to keep you on his side?"

"Because he didn't tell me. He won't tell me anything about it, Harry. Why else would I have been following him?"

Harry shrugged and Allegra focused on hanging a mirrored ornament so she wouldn't fall into the tree.

"Didn't you hear Snape?" Allegra said. "Voldemort is going to kill him and his parents if he doesn't do something."

Harry looked like he hadn't paid too much attention to that detail.

"He must know about me being a Mentalist, if he's a Death Eater. They wouldn't be doing a very good job if not every Death Eater knew as much as they can about the both of us."

"That's a comforting thought," he grimaced.

"I know." Allegra agreed wholeheartedly there. "But he must know. Snape said he'd been learning Occlumency; he must be keeping the fact that me and him are friends secret that way."

Harry pulled a face.

"He's had hundreds of opportunities to capture and or smite me, Harry," Allegra said, trying her best not to sigh and roll her eyes, this argument was not new ground. "I think we can rule that out."

"Smite?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"It's a fun word," Allegra shrugged. "Anyway, I've been thinking about this constantly, and I don't think he's going to stab me in the back."

"Alle-"

"I don't, Harry," Allegra said sharply.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face.

"Just don't get too comfortable," he told her. "For you know, Voldemort could get into his head and use the Imperius curse on him to get you. Just keep your wits about you. I know I can't stop you trusting him but I can ask you to be careful."

"I will – I am," Allegra said, still sounding stubborn and defensive. "So, we are pretty much certain that he's a Death Eater, and Voldemort has told him to do something, otherwise he and his family will be killed."

Harry nodded, "Any idea what that something is?"

Allegra shook her head, "None. I don't want to know."

"You don't want -?"

"Look, if we find out what it is, we'll have to do something to stop him. I know that. If we stop him, Voldemort will do something drastic." Harry made a deep growling noise. "I know you don't like it Harry, but that's how I see it. Also," she added hesitantly, "we have one other part to this whole problem."

"Right, what's that?"

"I think Blaise may have gotten himself into a pickle, too."

Harry actually looked vaguely moved by this statement. He didn't hate Blaise – Blaise was tolerable – and he'd been Allegra's friend longer than she'd been Harry's.

"You think the same as Malfoy?"

Allegra shrugged and pulled a long piece of silver tinsel from the box. "Well, if Ron or Hermione was in that much of a dilemma with their lives at stake, we'd both join them to help, wouldn't we?"

"Ah," Harry looked down at his feet. "I want to know what his role in this is."

Allegra nodded, but they couldn't do anything until they were back at school.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Haha! No way, Allegra."

"Please? What if my dad says it's okay?" Allegra was close to getting down on her hands and knees at Harry's bedside.

"In what world is that going to happen?"

"This one."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Dumbledore specifically told us not to. I don't think there were any exceptions to what he asked."

"But if dad says yes then he's got a safe way to go. Plus, if you think about it, Death Eaters aren't likely to turn up where there are hundreds and hundreds of muggles all crowded together."

Harry looked at her sceptically. "Your dad is not going to let us go out – possibly getting killed, or worse, captured – just because it's almost Christmas and neither of us have done any shopping. Neither of us are seventeen yet, so we aren't even legally allowed to protect ourselves –"

"That doesn't matter with me!"

"- and it sounds like a really fast way to get in a lot of trouble."

They glared at each other.

"If you don't come with me, I'll go alone," Allegra said stubbornly, and he huffed angrily.

"Allegra, this isn't just a silly rule, this is really important!"

"So you'll come with me if my dad agrees?" Allegra grinned.

"I hate you," he stated, got out of bed in his long pyjama bottoms and pushed her out of the way. Allegra fell back so she was sitting on the floor.

"Have a nice shower, sweetgums!" Allegra called as he slammed the bathroom door. Allegra sniggered and scampered off to find her dad.

Allegra's father, Mike, reacted just as she had hoped. First came the flat out no. Shortly after, he would do the obligatory umming and arring that any parent worth their wand would have to do. Allegra listed all the reasons why it would be fine, how they would and could be safe, and eventually… he said yes. And then he got excited.

"Oh, we can do transfiguration on the two of you!"

"Thank you, daddy!"

"Only other thing," he bit into, chewed and swallowed a piece of buttered toast before he continued. "I'll try contacting Fred and George, I'd prefer it if I wasn't the only adult."

Allegra was very aware that he was using the term "adult" loosely.

He stood, leaving his crummy plate on the counter, and left to send an owl.

As Allegra started on her own breakfast, Harry strolled into the kitchen with wet hair, his t-shirt clinging uncomfortably in places he hadn't dried properly.

"He said yes," Allegra sang, stopping Harry in his tracks.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope. He's gone to owl Fred and George, and we'll have to use transfiguration to make us look different. Oh, and we'll have to take our cloaks too, just to be safe."

Harry stared at her.

"Just-to-be-safe would be staying here."

"Stop being such a little girl," she told him with a cheeky smile.

"Allegra, stop being reckless, for just a few days." He pulled out a bowl to get some cereal. "I can't believe he said yes."

"Well, we don't need to wonder which parent I got my recklessness from."

"No, we certainly don't."

Allegra waited with him while he ate. Cassia shuffled in, a pink sleeping mask on her forehead, and disappeared without a word into the Cold Room, presumably in search of breakfast. Cassia was _not_ a morning person. Allegra probably didn't know anyone worse. It was a good job she wasn't a House Elf by obligation anymore, she would have awful at getting up before the family to get them ready for the day.

"Morning, Cassia!" Allegra called cheerfully. Cassia grumbled some form of response. Allegra turned back to Harry. "Do you think Fred and George will be able to come? With the shop and everything?"

"We'll just have to hope so, won't we?" Harry said. He didn't look like he hoped so at all, in fact he looked like he hoped someone would step in and tell them they couldn't go.

It probably wasn't the actual going out that worried him, it was what would happen if Dumbledore found out, and the trouble they'd get in if he did.

"Good news!" Mike exclaimed, bursting into the kitchen. "The Twins said they'd be happy to go with us. They'll be over in an hour."

Harry groaned quietly, while Allegra celebrated. Her fists pumped the air while she laughed and cheered.

"Stop it, Loser, you're embarrassing me," Harry grabbed her arms and pinned them to her sides. Mike let out a hearty chuckle.

"Come on you two, I'd better give you some muggle money."

"So why the hell does that guy think he has a chance with her?" Allegra pointed at the television screen over the huge cushion she was hugging for warmth.

"It's not real, Allegra, it's fiction."

Allegra stared at the screen and considered this information.

"Alegry!" Allegra and Harry looked at each other with furrowed brows. Alegry? Something clicked in Allegra's mind as the living room doors burst open.

"Frege!" Allegra leaped up and rolled over the back of the sofa and collided with whichever twin's chest was closest.

"See Fred, I told you she loved me more. Hey Harry, Smuchums." Allegra rolled her eyes and went to give Fred a squeeze. He grinned at her as she heard Harry reply with a warm greeting. Fred picked Allegra up off the floor and spun her around like a reunited couple in a film, her legs flailing.

"Boys," Mike strolled into the room, his hands in his pockets, his Christmas-time-only slippers on his feet. They were seaweed-green and had a snowy scene with reindeer running across his toes. "Oliver's arriving early, he's going to be taking my place on the trip, if that's okay with everyone."

"Yeah!" Harry, Fred and George grinned.

"Oh no," Allegra moaned sarcastically. "Now someone fairly responsible is coming."

"Don't worry, Ali, with you, George and I to handle, he'll have a hard time doing that." Fred winked at her and smiled softly. The wink hadn't held the usual charm. It felt the way an uncle might wink at a much younger niece when she wanted to get her way.

"How long 'til he gets here?" Allegra asked, almost annoyed. Fred frowned, unsettled by her lack of response.

"An hour, at the most," Mike said, not noting Allegra's change in tone. "I'll be in my study if you need me, I've still got work to do, unlike you slackers." Mike closed the door behind him as he left.

"I haven't seen Oliver since the summer," George said, dropping down onto the softa beside Harry. "It'll be good to see him."

"None of us have, George," Allegra followed Fred to another sofa and sat down next to him. She sighed, demanded the television controls and settled in to wait.

"What have you been doing at school, Draco?" Draco's aunt Bellatrix leered at him. "Not getting on with the job?"

"I am getting on with it, Bella, it's just taking time!" he told her angrily.

"It's taking too long! Our Master is growing impatient!" She advanced on him like a spider upon a fly tangled in its web.

"I can't fucking help it!" He recoiled, but she didn't reprimand him for his language. "I'm trying to do several million things at once – including not getting caught – and it's not easy!" He took a step back, but it wasn't out of fear. Blaise watched on from the side of the room, completely expressionless.

"Has Snape tried to help you? Have you used what I taught you?"

Draco walked around her to sit down. No matter what he did in his house, he never looked at home. He perched on the edge of an elaborately embroidered couch. The only place he was ever able to relax was in his room, but even there he was always a little tense, always ready to run, though running would do him no good.

"Yes, both. But luckily I have been able to keep him from my mind. Thank you for teaching me." He genuinely meant it. He had a lot of secrets in his head, and being a well practiced occlumens had ensured those secrets stayed safe. Bellatrix had been teaching him for years.

"That's good. Get it done, Draco. You're running out of time." Bellatrix turned and walked away, signalling the end of the discussion. As soon as she was gone Draco was on his feet, fleeing for the stairs, his face hard and his silver eyes had turned a dark stone colour. Blaise followed him like a shadow, unnoticed by anyone but Draco, and closed the door once they were inside Draco's room.

"I can't do this Blaise," Draco's eyes had changed again; the stone had dissolved to a liquid silver. "I can't do it, I can't."

"Yes, Draco, you can. Breathe." Blaise walked to Draco and put his hands on his shoulders, thankful that Draco's mother had put a silencing charm on his room. "You're going to get through this. We are going to my house tomorrow and then we'll be on our own. Everything will be fine."

Draco looked at Blaise with a pained expression, and Blaise knew that his words hadn't touched him. For the first time in the fifteen years of knowing each other, Draco sat on the floor, legs discarded messily in front of him, put his head in his hands and cried.

Allegra giggled at herself in the mirror. She looked about fourteen, had hair redder than the Weasleys and dark brown eyes. Fred and George had brought some experimental sweets for them to try, which were supposed to change your face shape and your voice. Fred and George said they were a novelty, as well as a way for people to disguise themselves in these dangerous times. They thought this would be the ultimate field test. Allegra usually had quite a round, oval shaped face, but now she had a thin face and pointed chin.

"This is awesome," she said, in her new, squeaky voice. She turned to Harry who looked their real age but was blonde, blue eyed and quite chubby. "Haha, hey Chubbers."

Harry looked in the mirror and started laughing. His laughing and their new voices caused a laughing fit until someone entered the room. They had long black hair with a French-style moustache and lavender eyes.

"We can't take you looking like that! We're trying to not draw attention!" Harry exclaimed in his new, prepubescent voice. The French-Moustache looked at him blankly.

Allegra laughed harder, and the person rolled their eyes and walked back out.

"Who was that?"

Allegra shook her head, she hadn't the breath to answer. This was by far the best part of going out.

The actual shopping center was a scary place. It was colossal and full of determined muggles, out to buy their Christmas presents and would not let anyone get in their way.

Harry was the only one completely familiar with a shopping center, the others had only visited a few times before.

Allegra thought it was going to be a relaxed outing, but Oliver and Fred stayed close on either side of her, with Harry leading the way with George beside him. Harry took a brief look at a map, but after that seemed to wing it and go by what he could see. Allegra managed to get some of the boys to wait outside stores while she bought presents, but they insisted on watching through the glass or open door.

As soon as they were done they were whisked home.

"Thanks for taking us," Allegra said to Fred and George, who were once again wearing their own faces and getting ready to leave.

"No problem, if it means you're safe, then I'm happy," Fred said, giving her a hug goodbye.

"We'll see you in a few days," Harry said behind her. George hugged her and a minute later they were gone.

Oliver joined Allegra and Harry in her room to wrap presents, scuppering any plans Harry might have had about discussing the Slytherin dilemma any further.

"Are you serious?" Allegra said, looking down at Oliver from where she sat on her bed.

"What?" Oliver asked innocently, he and Harry were on the floor.

Allegra laughed softly and pointed at the box she'd given him to wrap. "What – what is that?"

"The box you asked me to wrap…" He was completely oblivious to his failure. He had his legs crossed as best he could and looked up at Allegra with big, doe brown eyes. Allegra laughed softly again, the box only had one side that wasn't completely flat, yet he still had trouble wrapping it. "What?"

"Nothing, carry on." He eyed Allegra.

"O – K…" He went back to concentrating on his wrapping.

On the other side of her by the tree Harry was also having some trouble, he had bought mostly odd shaped presents that Allegra doubted she would be able to make look presentable. She looked back at Oliver and after a moment succumbed to the urge. She shuffled down to him and gave his right arm a hug.

"What's up?" he asked, and if it hadn't been for the content smile on her face, he would have been concerned.

"I can't help it. I'm a sucker for brown eyes."

"What about green?" Harry piped up.

"I have green, Harry, It's not as exciting." Harry mumbled something in a low, disgruntled tone. "Plus I see you every day, I only see Oliver every few months. I miss him." Oliver made a pleased noise and put the arm around her to give her a squeeze.

"Don't get smug, Oliver, Hermione tells me that she cries at night because she can't be with me," Harry said. Oliver laughed appreciatively and Allegra threw an old cardboard tube at him like a javelin, though to little effect. "Yeah, apparently she moans my name, too." Harry grinned, and Allegra used her magic to throw all the pillows off the bed at him.

"Yeah, really, Harry?" He was buried, but she could hear him laughing. She elbowed Oliver, who was laughing harder.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, all I can say is I feel sorry for the elves that clean your bed. Ollie, you don't want to hear the things Ron has told me about the messes Harry makes. Every night they hear him say my name and then he's off to the bathroom –"

"Allegra, gross!" Oliver pushed her over and she laughed.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

On Christmas day Allegra, Mike, Cassia and Harry left early to go to the Burrow, where they were immediately set to work.

Ron was in a foul mood already, and it was barely ten a-m. Fred and George had arrived, as well as Charlie, who had squeezed Allegra and not let go for almost two minutes straight. The house had been decorated from top to toe, tinsel was twisted around or draped over anything possible.

"Mike, Allegra, Cassia," Molly Weasley beckoned them to her. She looked at Cassia for a moment before going on with what she wanted to say. Talking to a House Elf as though they were another human took some getting used to. "We're having a bit of a space problem, you see," Mike nodded, already knowing what she was going to ask. "Most people would like to stay the night, particularly the boys… I was wondering, if it comes to it, would you mind giving up some of your bedrooms -?"

"Of course not, Molly," Mike smiled. "We love the company, don't we Cassia?" Cassia nodded enthusiastically.

Molly set Allegra, Ron and Harry up peeling sprouts by the kitchen sink. She gave each of them a pile to do and then hurried off. Allegra instantly did all of hers with magic and stood smiling smugly at the boys.

"What! That's not fair!" Ron cried, looking from his pile to Allegra's. "You can cheat! Do ours."

"If I do all of them your mum might get suspicious and make us do more work." The boys looked like they didn't much like her at that moment. "Look, do half and I'll do the other."

"Fine," Ron said, and then turning to Harry said, "So Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely offering to help him?"

"Yes Ron, we can't both get that wrong!" Allegra snapped.

"I'm only checking!"

"Yes, Snape was offering to help him." Harry repeated. "He said he'd promised Malfoy's mother to protect him, that he'd made an Unbreakable Oath."

"An Unbreakable Vow?" Ron said, stunned. "Nah, he can't have… are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said.

"You can't break an Unbreakable Vow…"

"Funny that, Ron, I was under the impression you could," Allegra said.

"But you die if you break it, he won't have done that."

"Well, apparently he has, Ron. That's what he said, anyway."

"Do you remember when Fred and George tried to trick me into making one when we were five?" Allegra nodded. "I was holding hands with Fred and everything, Dad went mental. It's the only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred says his left buttock's never been the same since."

"Never mind Fred's buttock –"

"I beg your pardon?" Fred said as the twins enterered the kitchen. "Ahh, George, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Bless them."

"Yeah, well we wouldn't be if someone did them for us," Ron said, glaring pointedly at Allegra. She grinned.

"But that wouldn't be as fun to watch, Ron." George told him. "Oh, Ron, what is this we hear from Ginny about a young lady called – unless our information is faulty – Lavender Brown?" Ron turned a little pink, but didn't look displeased as he turned back to the sprouts.

"Mind your own business."

"What a snappy retort," Fred said. "I really don't know how you think of them. I really ought to note these down. No, what we wanted to know was… how did it happen?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Did she have an accident or something?"

"I think I remember her falling out of bed that morning, actually," Allegra smirked.

"Oh, I know who she is, if she's Allegra and Hermione's roommate!" George said excitedly.

"How did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful, now!" Fred said, just as his mother entered the room to witness Ron throw a knife at Fred, who turned it into a paper airplane with one lazy flick of his wand.

"Ron!" she said furiously. "Don't you ever let me see you throwing knives again!"

"I won't," he turned back to the sprouts, "let you see."

"Fred, George, you two will be staying at Allegra's tonight, Bill needs your room."

The twins grinned, "no problem."

"Charlie is going with you, too."

"Is Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?" Molly turned away before she answered George.

"No, I expect he's busy at the Ministry."

"Or just being the World's Biggest Twat," Fred shrugged. "That's more likely." They followed their mother out of the kitchen.

"Anyway, are you going to tell Dumbledore about what you saw?" Ron asked Harry.

"I'm not sure…" Harry had his back to Allegra, and Ron's eyes glanced at her. Allegra had a strong suspicion that Harry had just moved his eyes in her direction, silently telling Ron not to ask in front of her.

"Oh," he said slowly. "It's a pity you don't know what Malfoy's actually doing, though." Ron paused for a moment. "Of course, you know what they'd say if you told them. That Snape isn't really helping Draco, and that he was probably just trying to find out what he's doing."

"That's true," Allegra nodded.

"Where's Hermione, then?" Charlie asked some hours later, taking a seat beside Allegra. The lunch was cooking and they were waiting for the last guests to arrive. Harry, Ron, Ginny and Allegra had exiled themselves to a corner of the living room.

"Yeah Ron, where is she?" Allegra asked, trying to sound as moody as possible.

"She's spending Christmas with her parents this year," he replied, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"I expect she would have spent it here, though, if you were talking to her."

"Why aren't you talking to her?" Charlie asked, and Ron didn't answer.

"I'm not sure," Allegra said, looking at Ron. "And apparently neither is he."

"Shut up, Allegra," he murmured.

"What? You've stopped talking to your best friend for no reason, as far as I can tell, and that bothers me." Harry and Ginny glanced at each other awkwardly, wondering which one of them was going to jump in if the squabble got ugly. "In fact, it's not that you've stopped talking to her, it's that when you do talk to her you're being so freaking rude and spiteful that I just want to hit you and ask you what the hell you think you're doing!"

"Allegra," Harry said, warning her quietly. Charlie was watching intently, he didn't often – if ever – see Allegra angry.

"She's got McLaggen," Ron said bitterly.

"And you've got Lavender, so I guess everyone's happy except me," Allegra spat.

What she said lingered in the air, and they all looked like it had left a bad taste in their mouths. She got to her feet and thought about going upstairs.

"Come on, Ali, let's go outside and look at the snow," Charlie led the way out to the kitchen.

After Molly gave Allegra the duty of keeping Fleur amused, since Allegra seemed to be the only person Fleur could stand, and Allegra hadn't managed to look in Ron's direction yet.

Remus arrived shortly before one o'clock, looking tired, rugged and sad. He spent most of his time in one of the old armchairs in the living room. He was staying at the Burrow, and so apparently didn't see any problem with drowning his sorrows before any Christmas presents were handed out.

Allegra eyed him suspiciously as Fleur jabbered on about Bill and how perfect he was, wondering what was wrong with him.

After Christmas Dinner and the present giving, Allegra sat down with Harry and Remus.

"What have you been up to lately?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I've been underground," Remus said. "Almost literally. That's why I haven't been able to write, Harry. Sending letters would have been something of a giveaway."

"What d'you mean?"

"I've been living among my fellows, my equals. Werewolves." He added when both the teenagers looked blank. "Nearly all of them are on Voldemort's side. Dumbledore wanted a spy and here I was… ready-made." He sounded bitter, and seemed to realise it and smiled warmly as he continued. "I am not complaining; it is necessary work and who can do it better than I? However, it has been difficult gaining their trust. I bear the unmistakable signs of having tried to live among wizards, you see, whereas they have shunned more normal society and live on the margins, stealing – and sometimes killing – to eat."

"Why are they mostly on Voldemort's side?" Allegra asked with a frown,

"They think that, under his rule, they will have a better life, and it's hard to argue with Greyback out there…"

"Who's Greyback?" Harry asked.

"You haven't heard of him?" Allegra said, surprised. It had been Greyback who attacked Remus. Her father had told her about him.

"Fenrir Greyback is, perhaps, the most savage werewolf alive today. He regards it as his mission in life to bite and contaminate as many people as possible; he wants to create enough werewolves to overcome the wizards. Voldemort has promised him prey in return for his services. Greyback specialises in children… bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate normal wizards. Voldemort has threatened to unleash him upon people's sons and daughters; it is a threat that usually produces good results." Remus paused and then said, "It was Greyback who bit me."

"What?" Harry said, astonished. "When – when you were a kid, you mean?"

"Yes. My father had offended him. I did not know, for a very long time, the identity of the werewolf who attacked me; I even felt pity for him, thinking that he had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform. But Greyback is not like that. At the full moon he positions himself close to victims, ensuring that he is near enough to strike. He plans it all. And this is the man Voldemort is using to marshal the werewolves. I cannot pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood, that we out to revenge ourselves on normal people."

"But you are normal!" Harry said fiercley. "You've just got a – a –"

"Wolfish personality?" Allegra offered.

Remus burst out laughing.

"That reminds me so much of James. He used to call it my 'furry little problem' in company. Many people were under the impression I owned a badly behaved rabbit."

Remus accepted a glass of eggnog from Molly with a word of thanks, finally looking cheerful after spending most of the day gloomy.

"Have you ever heard of someone called the Half-Blood Prince?" Harry said.

"Half-Blood what?"

"Prince."

"There are no wizarding princes," Remus said, now smiling. "Is this a title you're thinking of adopting? I should have thought being the 'Chosen One' would be enough."

Allegra laughed appreciatively.

"It's got nothing to do with me, the Half-Blood Prince is someone who used to go to Hogwarts, I've got his old Potions book. He wrote spells all over it, spells he invented. One of them was Levicorpus –"

"Oh, that one had a great vogue during my time at Hogwarts," Remus said reminiscently. "There were a few months in my fifth year when you couldn't move for being hoisted into the air by your ankle."

"My dad used it," Harry said. "I saw him in the Pensieve, he used it on Snape."

"Yes, but he wasn't the only one. As I say, it was very popular… you know how these spells come and go…"

"But it sounds as though it was invented while you were at school –"

"Not necessarily, jinxes go in and out of fashion like everything else." He looked into Harry's face and then said quietly, "James was a pureblood, Harry, and I promise you, he never asked us to call him 'prince'."

"And it wasn't Sirius? Or you?"

"Definitely not."

An hour or two later it was time to leave.

"Come on everyone!" Cassia called from where she stood next to the fireplace. It had surprised Allegra how nice everyone had been to Cassia that day. As soon as they realised that she spoke normally and that they could have a genuine, intelligent conversation, she was treated like any other guest.

A green paper party hat sat lopsided on her head, and her eyes were still bright with excitement.

Allegra, Charlie, Harry, Fred and George soon gathered around her, waiting for Mike to finish his goodbyes with Remus and Arthur (whom he had spent most of the day talking to) and lastly Molly, congratulating her on a wonderful day. Ginny became a last minute addition to the people going back to Allegra's, because she had begged and Molly felt sorry for her having to share a room with Fleur.

Upon arrival Mike assigned Allegra the job of showing everyone where they could stay. She led everyone upstairs, pointed out her room, her father's and Harry's and then used the phrase: "go nuts", whereupon the Weasleys took off to where they thought the best bedrooms were. Charlie was the most disadvantaged because he had never been to stay at Allegra's before.

She left them to their room hunt (not really understanding what the fuss was about – there weren't any bad rooms) and went into her room to find that Blaise and Draco's gifts had arrived.

 _Dear Boob-Tit (that goes for you and anyone who may intercept this owl),_

 _Thank you very much for our gifts that appeared at the end of our beds today. Using Cassia was a very good idea, we'd have done the same if it wasn't for the fact that Blaise's mother takes her House Elf everywhere with her._

 _We are having a two-person Christmas in Blaise's living room. We're not having a proper Christmas dinner as obviously neither of us can cook, so we are just eating whatever we can find._

 _We hope our presents out-do that Weasley bloke's (the one you have a crush on!). Let us know how we did! See you at school, honey._

 _Have a good day,_

 _Love Draco and Blaise xxx_

"What's that?" Harry asked, wandering into the room, followed by Ginny and Charlie. "A letter from Draco and Blaise."

"Those the Slytherins?" Charlie asked and Harry nodded darkly.

"Her pet Slytherins," Fred told him, entering barely a moment after.

"Can I see?" Charlie plucked the letter from her hand and began to scan the letter. When Allegra objected, he merely put his hand out to stop her and she couldn't reach him.

"Did they say anything interesting?" Harry asked, peering at the letter from Charlie's left.

"No," Allegra said shortly, giving up hope of retrieving the letter.

"Yes," Charlie corrected. "I think so. _That Weasley bloke, the one you have a crush on!_ Who's that then, Allegra?"

"They think I have a crush on you," she told him.

"Well, these guys are smart," Charlie praised, his ego appearing like a flare in the night sky. "They know you well, you do have a crush on me."

"Charlie," Fred scoffed. "They obviously don't, seeing as she has a crush on me."

"Actually," Allegra said, "I fancy Ginny." Allegra kept a straight face and took a seat next to Ginny on the bed, taking her hand in hers. Ginny grinned, happy to play along. The boys stared.

"That would be kind-of hot if that wasn't our little sister," Fred admitted, and Allegra winked at him.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thanks for the messages everyone, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Chapter 17

One frosty evening on one of the days in the awkward limbo between Christmas and New Year, something strange happened. The doorbell rang.

"Who – what?" Mike stood up at once and Cassia ran from the living room out to the hall. Michael followed and Allegra and Harry looked at each other. Whoever it was was outside the gate at the front of the property, standing outside of the protective charms and spells that had been set upon the house. After a few moments Mike came rushing back in, looking flustered.

"It's the Minister."

"What?" Harry and Allegra said in unison.

"It is, he's coming down the drive now!"

"You're sure it's him?" Allegra asked. "You checked?"

"Yes – well, I did the best I could – I'm sure it's him! He's coming to see you both."

Harry stood up immediately and looked uncomfortable, glancing at the door as though thinking of leaving.

"Well then,' he said finally, looking at Allegra, "Let's go and meet our Minister."

Allegra was suspicious before she even set eyes on the Minister of Magic, who was standing in the hallway looking bemused at the sight of Cassia in her red velvet robe, fluffy pink slippers and pink nail polish.

"Ah," he looked up as Harry and Allegra entered and smiled at them through squinting eyes. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Harry and Allegra repeated.

"I was hoping we might have a quick chat? Just for five minutes – I've left Percy at the gate, you see."

"Didn't want to come in?" Harry asked bluntly. The Minister feigned a chuckle and didn't answer. Mike and Allegra glanced at each other.

"Shall we?" The Minister gestured out into the cold. Harry stepped into some shoes and marched from the house. The Minister watched as Allegra surveyed the available footwear (she had to physically stop herself from summoning some of her own) and then shoved her feet into a pair of her father's boots and shuffled out the door.

Harry led the way towards the stone fountain to the right and stopped to watch the Koi carp that Cassia was scared of, swimming in its basin.

"I've wanted to meet you for a very long time," Minister Scrimgeour said. "Did you know that?"

"No," Harry said truthfully.

Scrimgeour glanced back to smile encouragingly at Allegra who had only just managed to join them in the oversized shoes.

"Oh yes, a very long time. But Dumbledore has been very protective of you – of both of you. Natural, of course, natural, after what you've both been through… especially what happened at the Ministry…"

The Minister looked from Harry to Allegra and then out across the frosty grass toward the high privet hedge that marked the boundary.

"I have been hoping for an occasion to talk to you ever since I gained office," he continued. "But Dumbledore has – most understandably, as I say – prevented this."

Allegra glanced at Harry and felt a shiver run up her spine. It was freezing and she wasn't wearing a jacket. Under other circumstances perhaps she could have summoned one, but not with the Minister watching. That would be a very, very bad thing to do.

Harry still said nothing.

"The rumours that have flown around!" Scrimgeour went on. "Well, of course, we all know how these stories get distorted… all these whispers of a prophecy… of you, Harry, being the 'Chosen One'… of Allegra being a powerful seer, or Animagi… of course, one has to wonder…"

Allegra was watching the two men from behind. Harry was still staring at the fish but now his shoulders were tense, closer to his neck than naturally held.

"… I assume that Dumbledore has discussed these matters with you?" Again he turned to glance between Allegra and Harry.

Allegra stayed silent, waiting for Harry to make their move for her.

"Yeah, we've discussed it."

"Have you, have you…" Scrimgeour turned to eye them once each again and Allegra turned back to survey the house and the frozen rosebushes that climbed it. "And what is it Dumbledore told you, Harry?"

"Sorry, but that's between us," Harry said.

Allegra felt the Minister once again look her way, but she kept her gaze well away from him.

"Oh, of course, if it's a question of confidences, I wouldn't want you to divulge… no, no… and in any case, does it really matter whether you are the Chosen One or not? Or the reason Voldemort wanted Allegra captive?"

Allegra, glad to be spoken about instead of to, took a half-step back. Harry was silent for a few moments before answering.

"I don't really know what you mean, Minister."

"Well, of course, to you it will matter enormously," Scrimgeour said with a laugh. "But to the wizarding community at large… it's all perception, isn't it? It's what people believe that's important."

The Koi were hungry, and began gathering around Harry and the Minister, coming to the surface and opening their mouths at them. A handful of torn baguette appeared in Allegra's hand, and she threw it away behind her quickly when the Minister wasn't looking.

"People believe you are the Chosen One, you see," Scrimgeour said. "They believe you are heroes – which of course, you are, chosen or not! Having faced You-Know-Who in the flesh… well, anyway," he pressed on. "The point is, you are symbols of hope for many. The idea that there are people out there, young wizards at that, able – perhaps even destined – to face You-Know-Who… well, it gives people a bit of a boost."

The fish had dispersed to forage for food on the basin floor.

"I can't help but feel that, once you realise this, you might consider it, well, almost a duty, to stand alongside the Ministry, and give everyone a boost."

Allegra took a few steps forward to stand between Harry and the Minister.

"And what does that mean?" she asked.

"Oh, well, it wouldn't entail much. If you were both seen popping in and out of the Ministry from time to time, for instance, that would give the right impression. While you were there you would have ample time to visit Gawain Robards, my successor as Head of the Auror Office. Dolores Umbridge told me that you both have ambitions of becoming an Auror."

"So basically," Harry said, heat rising in his tone. "You'd like us to give the impression that we are working for the Ministry. Giving you inside information on Voldemort."

Scrimgeour flinched at the name.

"It would give everyone a lift to think you were more involved with our fight. It's all about giving people hope, the feeling that exciting things are happening."

"But if I keep running in and out of the Ministry," Harry said, making visible efforts to keep his voice friendly. "Won't that give the impression that I approve of what the Ministry is doing?"

"Well," Scrimgeour said with a frown, "Well, yes, that's partly why we'd like –"

"No, I don't think that'll work," Harry said pleasantly. "You see, I don't like some of the things the Ministry's doing. Locking up Stan Shunpike, for instance."

Scrimgeour didn't speak for a moment, but his expression hardened instantly.

"I would not expect you to understand," he said, not as successful in keeping anger from his voice. "These are dangerous times, and certain measures need to be taken. You are sixteen-years-old –"

"Dumbledore's a lot older than sixteen, and he doesn't think Stan should be in Azkaban either," Harry said. "You're making Stan a scapegoat, just like you want to make us mascots."

Harry and Scrimgeour stared at each other, long and hard.

"I see," Scrimgeour said finally, looking away. "You prefer – like your hero Dumbledore – to disassociate yourself from the Ministry?"

"I don't want to be used," Harry said.

"Some would say it's your duty to be used by the Ministry!"

"No – no." Allegra shook her head. "If we are symbols of hope already, then we can carry on as we are –"

"It is your duty to make sure the people you throw in Azkaban really are Death Eaters. You're doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people –"

"We just don't believe that associating ourselves with what you've done so far would help the cause," Allegra smiled sweetly. "Make some improvements and we'll reassess in six months' time."

Scrimgeour's face had a reddish glow about it and he was looking from Harry to Allegra and back.

After a long time he looked at Harry and said: "What is Dumbledore up to? Where does he go when he is absent from Hogwarts?"

"No idea," Harry said.

"And you wouldn't tell me if you knew, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Well, then, I shall have to see whether I can't find out by other means."

"You can try," Harry said indifferently. "But you seem cleverer than Fudge, so I'd have thought you'd have learned from his mistakes. He tired interfering at Hogwarts. You might have noticed he's not Minister anymore, but Dumbledore's still Headmaster. I'd leave Dumbledore alone, if I were you."

There was a long pause and Allegra felt herself hold her breath.

"Well, it's clear to me that he has done a very good job on you. Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you, Potter?"

"Yeah, I am," Harry said. "Glad we straightened that out."

Scrimgeour turned away from Harry and nodded politely at Allegra.

"Miss Boone," and he turned away and walked back towards the front gates.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

A few days after New Year (which had been a fairly anticlimactic affair), Harry and Allegra stood by the fireplace in the small library in Allegra's home, ready to return to Hogwarts. The Ministry had arranged one-off Floo connections so that the students could return directly.

"Right," Mike and Cassia stood in front of them, hands on their hips. "I know I'm usually quite relaxed with you in terms of rules and such, especially since Allegra's become Mental –"

"It's a Mentalist, Dad."

"- but I want to talk to you both seriously. I feel a parental responsibility for both of you –"

"You are my parent."

"- and I can imagine that when the two of you are not at school, you will be here from now on."

Harry seemed to light up at this idea, he'd enjoyed his time living with the Boones and visiting the Weasleys so frequently that he felt as though he dreaded his aunt and uncle's even more than before.

Michael finished by looking at them both severely. "So I want you to behave. You can pass that on to Ginny and Ron, too. And Draco and Blaise, come to think of it." Harry and Allegra shared a dark glance. "Hermione – I have faith in."

"Of course," Harry mumbled.

"Just don't do anything stupid. No Forbidden Forest trips, no sneaking out to Hogsmeade with your Invisibility Cloaks, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Allegra said cheerily.

"Good."

They said their goodbyes and then Harry was given the all clear to step into the green flames of the fireplace.

"Hogwarts!"

He disappeared in a burst. Allegra followed quickly and found herself stepping out and almost head-butting Harry's back.

"Good evening, try not to get too much ash on the rug," Professor McGonagall said from behind her desk.

"No, Professor," Harry said, glancing back to check on Allegra and then led the way out of Professor McGonagall's office.

Harry and Allegra walked back to the portrait of the Fat Lady, where they found Ron and Ginny standing outside.

"Baubles," Ron said confidently.

"No," she said.

"What d'you mean, 'no'?"

"There is a new password," she said. "And please don't shout."

"But we've been away!"

"Allegra!" Allegra turned to see Hermione hurrying up the stairs, and then she latched herself around Allegra's waist. "Hi Harry, Ginny. I got back a couple of hours ago, I've just been down visiting Hagrid and Buck – I mean Witherwings. Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," Ron said at once, "it's been –"

"I've got something for you, Harry. Oh, hang on, _abstinence_."

The portrait swung open and Ginny led the way inside.

Hermione rummaged in her pocket for a moment and then stopped to offer Harry a roll of paper.

"Great," Harry said, recognising Dumbledore's handwriting at once. "I've got loads to tell him – and you. Let's sit down –"

But at that moment there was a loud squeal of "Won-Won!" and Lavender came barrelling out of nowhere and flung herself upon Ron. Several onlookers sniggered; Hermione gave a tinkling laugh and said, "There's a table over here… coming, Ginny?"

"No, thanks, I said I'd meet Dean," Ginny said, albeit not enthusiastically.

Leaving Ron locked in the body-binding curse that was Lavender, the remaining three found a table by the window.

"How was your Christmas?" Harry asked.

"Oh, fine, nothing special. How was it at Won-Won's and Ali's?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Look, Hermione, can't you –"

"No, she can't," Allegra said at the same time as Hermione said, "No, I can't. So don't even ask."

"I thought maybe, you know, over Christmas –"

"She's not backing down until Ron apologises," Allegra said sternly.

Harry looked between the two girls for a few moments before setting his eyes on Allegra.

"I think we ought to tell her about what we saw at Slughorn's party."

"Oh," Allegra said, a little surprised. She'd pushed it to the back of her mind, and although she had known the subject would come back up, she hadn't been prepared for it to come so quickly. She was forgetting who Harry was. "Yes, of course."

So together Harry and Allegra recounted the events of what they saw and heard that night.

"So you definitely think he's a Death Eater?" Hermione asked, mouthing the final two words.

"Yes – but not willingly," Allegra said. Harry pulled a face. "You-Know-Who is threatening to kill his family if he doesn't do something."

"What is this something?" Hermione asked, worried.

"We don't know," Harry said. "But Snape desperately wants to help him."

"Are you sure he wasn't just trying to –"

"Find out what Malfoy is doing? I don't think so," Harry said.

Hermione stared vacantly across the room and then asked, "How's Lupin?"

Harry told her all about Lupin's mission with the other werewolves. "Have you heard of this Fenrir Greyback?"

"Yes, I have!" Hermione said, startled. "And so have you, Harry!"

"When? In History of Magic? You know I –"

"No, no, not History of Magic – Malfoy threatened Borgin with him!" Hermione said. "Back in Knockturn Alley, don't you remember? He told Borgin that Greyback was an old family friend and that he'd be checking up on Borgin's progress!"

Harry gaped at her. "I forgot!"

Hermione looked back at Allegra. "And you're sure? I mean, that he's a –"

"We've talked about it before, 'Mione. Yes, but like I said, I don't think he wants to be." Allegra noticed that both Harry and Hermione were looking at her with sympathetic eyes, as though she were sure a lost dog was still going to come back after being gone for years. She ignored them.

"Oh, and the Minister of Magic came to see us," Allegra said, and Harry and Hermione stopped looking at her and started talking.

The next morning Hermione and Allegra arrived in the common room to find a new notice on the board and a number of students peering at it. Allegra and Hermione glanced at each other and went to take a look.

 _APPARITION LESSONS_

 _If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31_ _st_ _of August, you are eligible for a twelve week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition Instructor:_

 _Please sign below if you would like to participate._

 _Cost: 12 Galleons_

"Here, I've got a quill," Hermione said, handing it to Allegra to allow her to sign first. She turned back to find Harry and Ron had arrived.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Allegra said, and just as Ron opened his mouth to reply a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who, Won-Won?" Lavender had crept up behind them.

Allegra felt Hermione grab her arm and pulled her away in the direction of the door.

"Gross," Hermione finally said. Allegra made a noise of agreement and hoped they wouldn't have to talk about Ron and Lavender's relationship again. Allegra agreed that the whole thing was going on for too long, Allegra felt like she thought about the two of them together too much than was good for her health.

"He's starting to get sick of her," Allegra said. "Just like we thought."

"Really?" Hermione didn't sound convinced.

"Yeah, just look behind us." Hermione glanced back up the stairs. "Ron is with Harry, he can't have stuck around very long to guess-who."

This seemed to satisfy Hermione and she settled down into a content silence.

"Have you seen Draco or Blaise yet?"

"When would I have had time to do that?" Allegra asked. Hermione shrugged. "I'm hoping to catch them after breakfast, actually."

Allegra ate breakfast and then waited by the door for Draco and Blaise. They smiled at her as they approached, and Allegra found herself staring at Draco. He looked beyond tired; the circles under his eyes were like someone had wiped charcoal there, and his cheekbones and chin were even more defined than usual. Blaise looked somewhat healthier, but not any less tired.

"You two look like shit," she said bluntly. They dropped their smiles and looked at each other.

"We don't look that bad," Blaise said.

"Neither of you look like you've had any sleep, and Draco… you could do with a good meal!"

Draco didn't react, he instead looked at her with a coy smile and said, "I've got a killer six-pack though."

She frowned and threw her hand at his 'killer six-pack', but not hard enough to do anything more than to express what she thought of that response.

"Did you not get any sleep over Christmas?"

They glanced at each other.

"We've had a fair amount," Draco said.

"So you're both just… stressed?" she guessed, and they both sighed.

Draco glanced around and then shoved one hand in his pocket and the other through his hair, which was looking a little rougher and less well kept than usual. Allegra should have frowned at it – another sign of his problems – but she thought it looked sexy.

She battened down the hatches on that thought before anything could show on her face.

"Did you like your Christmas presents?" Draco asked evasively.

"Yes," Allegra frowned. "You know I did. I like everything you give me."

"Did we win?" Blaise asked as Allegra led them towards some seating across the hall. "Did we beat that Weasley bloke?"

"I think it's a tie," Allegra said. "Plus he stole the note you sent and now he thinks I fancy him."

"You do," Blaise said.

"I don't. I don't fancy anyone," Allegra said, both of the boys eyed her from their seats; Draco next to her and Blaise on a bench perpendicular to theirs. Blaise rolled his eyes.

"You must fancy someone," he said.

"Why must I?" Allegra said shortly. "Because I'm a girl I've got to be fawning over some guy, hoping he'll carry me away from my troubles?" Blaise and Draco exchanged a glance. "Or is it because I used to fancy everyone and I've changed, like other people keep telling me?"

"Allegra, I was just being friendly," Blaise said softly.

"Sorry," she sighed. "I didn't mean to snap… It's just something that's been bothering me." She looked up and felt ashamed of herself. "Here's me acting Miss Forlorn, look at you two."

"That doesn't mean you can't be grumpy, too," Draco said.

Allegra sighed, Draco put his arm around her for a one armed hug, and her stomach did a fluttering summersault. Well, great.

He removed it and she felt a little more in control.

"It's just a bunch of little things," she shrugged. "Nothing important. I just worry about other people." She glanced from Draco to Blaise and they smiled a little.

"Did you used to fancy everyone?" Draco blurted, like he couldn't help himself.

Allegra laughed under her breath.

"I don't know. Probably." When the boys looked at each other she elaborated. "Hermione says that up until half-way through fourth year, I was super-flirty-love-anyone-and-everyone."

"And then what?" Draco asked.

"And… then I'd have to tell you a secret," she smiled sighed.

"Tell me, please."

Draco had said it, and when she looked up at him his eyes were so intense she had to kick herself, completely unable to keep her mouth from talking. That was not a good trait to get in the habit of.

"Then… Cedric came along…" The boys breathed out long and slow, they understood.

"Wow," Blaise said. "That actually makes a lot of things make sense to me."

"Yeah. We were just about to 'go public', you know, after the end of the tournament…" Aether's voice had become tight. She hadn't let herself cry about this since seeing him in her memories about six months before. She sure as hell wasn't going to let herself now.

"Anyway," Aether continued, hearing that she still sounded in pain. "So obviously I was pretty torn up for a while. And while I've come to terms with that – I did a long time ago, Hermione says she's been waiting for me to go back to normal and I never have."

"She thinks you never got over him?" Draco asked.

"No, she knows I got over him. She just thinks I met someone else at the same time and the two blended together."

"Who?" he asked.

Allegra smiled, "I'm not telling you that. Besides, it's her theory." Allegra shifted in her seat, hoping to shift the conversation too.

Blaise was wearing a sly smile.

"Do you agree with Hermione?" Blaise asked.

Allegra shrugged.

"I don't know. With everything that goes on… there's not much time for that."

Draco was staring at his knees and when Allegra got up, his eyes followed her.

"At least it can't be the boy you took to the Christmas party," he said distastefully. "He wasn't here last year."

"No," Allegra shook her head. "He's a good looking guy, and there's certainly nothing wrong with him, but…"

"It's what Hermione said," Blaise said.

Allegra grinned brightly and turned to Draco.

"Did he make you jealous?"

"Why would he have made me jealous?" he smiled.

"He was supposed to," Allegra smirked, and before she could let her mouth cause any more damage she turned on her heels and started her way up the stairs to the common room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

When Allegra got back to the common room after talking with Blaise and Draco, she found Harry and Hermione at one of the tables by the windows.

"He must be determined to hide what really happened if Dumbledore couldn't get it out of him," Hermione said as Allegra sat down next to her. "Horcruxes… horcruxes… I've never even heard of them, have you?"

"No idea," Allegra said, shaking her head.

"Neither of you?" Harry said, surprised.

"It must be some really dark magic, or why would Voldemort have wanted to know about them?"

"Voldemort?" Allegra said, and Harry explained that in his meeting with Dumbledore he had witnessed a false memory that Slughorn had given him, in which a young Tom Riddle asked Slughorn about something called Horcruxes, some kind of magic neither Hermione nor Allegra had ever heard of. "Sounds like it's going to be difficult to get him to give that up."

"Ron reckons I should just hang back after Potions this afternoon…"

"Oh, well, if Won-Won thinks that, you'd better do it," Hermione said. "After all, when has he ever been wrong?"

"Hermione," Harry sighed.

"Look, it's not me, it's him!" Hermione growled, getting up and storming up the dorm stairs.

"You really need to see it from her point of view," Allegra said. "I don't see why you want her to give in so badly."

When Harry just looked at her she got up and followed Hermione.

That afternoon Hermione and Allegra walked to Potions together.

"I am not looking forward to this," Hermione confessed. "I don't know how I'm going to sit with the boys today."

Allegra shrugged, she couldn't quite feel sympathetic, after all, she'd been stuck on her own at the front of the classroom all year.

Inside Slughorn had arranged his armchair and cleared his desk ready for her. She sat down and watched as Hermione swapped with Earnie so she wouldn't have to sit next to Ron.

Allegra agreed with Harry that the whole thing was getting rather boring, but she couldn't let Hermione back down. For once in Ron's life was going to have to realise that he had hurt her.

Slughorn started class and Allegra stared off into space. She couldn't shake a tense feeling in her stomach.

"… and so," Slughorn was saying, when Allegra realised that he was giving instructions. "I want each of you to come and pick a phial from Allegra's desk. You are to create an antidote for the poison within it before the end of the lesson. Good luck, and don't forget your protective gloves!"

Allegra leaned across the massive expanse of desk and collected a pair of gloves, put them on and then chose one of the phials.

"You alright there, love?" Draco said, coming up to her desk last. "You were zoning out."

Allegra shrugged, not sure herself. He frowned but took the remaining phial and returned to Blaise at their desk.

She tried to focus on the task, but in the end really just threw a few guessed items into her cauldron and called it a day. It didn't smell particularly toxic, so that was good. When the lesson was over she left with Hermione and noticed Harry lingering behind.

"Hey," Draco said, tapping Allegra's arm. She slowed and turned to look at him. He and Hermione glanced at each other but neither showed any outward dislike. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," she nodded. "I just feel a bit spacey, but you do too, don't you Hermione?"

Hermione looked a little surprised to be included in the conversation but nodded all the same.

"Maybe our dorm is coming down with something?" Allegra said, though she was fairly sure she wasn't getting ill.

"Okay, well, if you need anything, just ask," Draco said, then turned away to go back to the Slytherin common room.

"Wow," Allegra said once he was well out of earshot. "That's a one-eighty spin on his attitude before Christmas."

"That's what I was about to say," Hermione agreed. "Maybe our plan is actually working on him?"

"I don't know," Allegra smiled, "I haven't exactly been showering other boys with affection."

Hermione glanced around and when the group of other students seemed to have thinned or preoccupied she said, "So you're still willing to admit you like him, then?"

"I guess so," Allegra sighed. "Fat lot of good that's going to do any of us, though."

January quickly faded into February. Nothing changed; Allegra saw little of Draco and Blaise, and the time they did spend with her, they seemed tired and withdrawn. Allegra had never been more sure of the mess they'd gotten themselves into, or of her feelings. She wondered often if she was sadistic, having feelings for a guy who was so obviously trouble. Ethan also vied for her attentions and although she enjoyed his company, she had absolutely zero feelings for him.

She had a few more Animagi lessons with McGonagall, but they didn't seem to get anywhere either.

When February came, bringing with it her seventeenth birthday, she had to admit that she really wasn't that thrilled. Of course, she was excited to have some level of freedom that she hadn't had as a minor, but of course being allowed to do magic outside of school didn't really change anything for her. She'd been able to do that for about a year now.

She also didn't want the fuss. Allegra could have quite happily let it slip under the radar. Hermione, unfortunately, wasn't willing to let that happen.

"Haaaapppyy Birthday!" Hermione and Pavarti cheered; Lavender was nowhere to be seen.

"No, just another day," Allegra said. The girls frowned and ignored her, sitting down on her bed with a present in their hands.

"Don't be such a grump," Pavarti said. "We got together this year to order you something from Fred and George's."

With no Hogsmeade trips on the horizon it was really the only place to buy from while at Hogwarts.

"Thanks, guys, but you really didn't have to," Allegra said, more sincerely than was polite.

"We put a lot of thought into this," Hermione said, undeterred, and placed a purple and green striped present in her lap. It was about the size of a large picture book, and when she opened it she found two books and two quills. "They're a pair," Hermione said before Allegra could say 'Notebooks'. "They're not notebooks, Ali, they're special. Fred and George developed them so people can communicate without conversations being traced, no matter where they are. When one of the notebooks is written in the other receives it, and once the message has been read it will disappear forever."

"That's really clever," Allegra said, opening on to reveal blank pages inside.

"You could give one to Malfoy, if you wanted," Pavarti said.

Allegra stared down at the books and the blue and green quills for long enough that Pavarti and Hermione glanced at each other. Then she put them aside, jumped up and hugged them both as tight as her chest felt.

"Thank you, this is… I didn't even know something like this existed."

"Not many people do, which will hopefully keep your messages safe," Hermione said.

"Thank you, thank you both so much," she said. "Nothing else I could ask for could top this."

When they went down to the common room Harry, Ron and Lavender were waiting for her. Hermione and Pavarti sat by the windows so that Hermione didn't have to sit with Ron, but wasn't completely abandoning the Birthday Girl.

Now in a much more upbeat mood, Allegra gratefully received her gifts and birthday wishes. Lavender had gone for the simple but never wrong chocolate and every-flavour beans, and Harry and Ron had pooled together to get her some of Fred and George's beauty treatments.

Downstairs at the breakfast table, Allegra received more sweets and chocolates from her friends in other houses, like Ethan and Luna, as well as Ginny. Luckily her birthday had fallen on a Saturday this year, which meant that she had the whole day to do whatever she pleased.

Draco wasn't at breakfast, but Blaise came over briefly to ask if she could meet him in the entrance hall at three-thirty, and of course Allegra agreed. She spent the day with Hermione, Pavarti, Harry and Ron when possible. At three-twenty she left the common room to go and see the Slytherins, one notebook and quill tucked into a handbag with a couple of bags of sweets.

"There's the birthday girl!" Blaise grinned. He and Draco were sat on the benches on the wall of the hall, both smiling brightly. "Now you have the freedom to do whatever you want."

"Not at all," Allegra said, trying to sound brighter than she felt. "In fact, I have less freedom now than I did when I was thirteen."

"Only in theory," Draco said, and when Allegra just frowned at him he elaborated. "Well, think about it, though everyone is trying to keep you inside and you're not allowed to go anywhere, no one is physically stopping you from walking out and apparating now, other than the fact our lessons haven't started yet."

Allegra thought about it for a moment, and then smiled. That actually made her feel better.

"Are the Gryffindors throwing you a party later?" Blaise asked.

"I hope not."

"Aren't you the grump?" Blaise said.

Allegra sighed and smiled slightly, "I know. This whole being stuck inside all the time thing is getting to me, plus Ron and Hermione still aren't talking so… that's difficult on my birthday. I wish I had a summer birthday, no one likes February."

"Oh well," Blaise shrugged. "We're here and you get presents."

"What have you got?" Draco asked her.

"Mostly sweets," she said. "Which I Do Not Mind. They're easy to order in." Allegra put a hand inside her bag and pulled out some Rainbow-Bugs and offered the bag to them. They took a handful and Allegra popped one into her mouth before putting them away. "What d'you get me?" Allegra said, looking at Blaise expectantly. His expression quickly changed from a smile to a 'd'oh!' and he jumped up.

"I left it in my dorm, I'll be back in five," he said, and jogged toward the dungeons.

"What about you then?" Allegra said, "do I get anything from you or have you been too busy?"

Draco frowned, "Well, I haven't bought you anything, but that's because I think if I give you anymore jewellery you'll be too shiny to look at." Draco stood up and pulled an envelope out of his back pocket. "Here," he sat down next to her.

Allegra eyed him for a second, but he didn't meet her eyes. If this was money, she wouldn't really know how to react. That really wasn't necessary – but when she opened it she found a stack of paper, sealed like a booklet. On the front in purple script it said _Allegra's Vouchers: Each Good for One Use Only_. She opened it with interest and the first piece of paper said, in Draco's handwriting: _I'll meet you in the library for half-an-hour at a time of your choosing_ , the next said _one whole evening_ , then _One Demand_.

"This is…" Allegra started, flicking through the pages, "just what I need."

She looked up at him and swallowed hard, his ice-blue eyes had that look in them – one she caught glimpses of a few times before. That look that is so affectionate and intense without the rest of his expression needing to say anything at all. It seemed impossible to be able do that with just your eyes, but it was there.

"You better be good for these," she said.

"I am," he said quietly, turning her to the back page, "but there's some small print."

She laughed under her breath and wasn't surprised to see things like _can't be used on consecutive nights_ and _Draco reserves the right to refuse a demand if it is going to humiliate or put anyone in harm's way_.

"I think the terms are fair." She smiled at him for a second longer than necessary, and then remembered the notebooks Pavarti and Hermione had given her that morning. "Oh, before Blaise comes back…"

That piqued Draco's interest, Allegra hadn't, to the best of his knowledge, held anything from Blaise that she told Draco. She turned back to her bag and retrieved the notebook and blue quill, and held them in her lap, gripping them tightly as she tried to think of the best way to explain.

"This is one of a pair," she started, feeling unsure of herself. "They're special notebooks."

Draco cocked an eyebrow, but didn't let the smirk be more than a whisper on his lips.

"So," Allegra started again, "I have the other one, and – um, so when I write in it the message will appear in yours, and then disappear once you've read it, and the same for me." She took a breath and then locked eyes with him. "The messages aren't traceable."

Draco looked surprised, and then his brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at the pocket-sized notebook.

"Not at all?"

"Not in any way anyone has found. They don't give off any magical signature, no one has any reason to suspect it isn't just a normal notebook."

Allegra gave them to him and he continued to stare at them.

"Can you put it away?" Allegra said briskly, "I don't want Blaise to see it when he gets back. I'd rather this was just for us, unless he has to know."

Draco nodded, put it away in his back pocket – which it only just fit in comfortably, and sat back down.

"And you're sure I'm the one you want to have this? I mean…"

"Yes," Allegra nodded, flushing more than she would have liked to know. "You're the one I feel I have…the least grip on."

He smiled, then said, "Don't be silly, you have a hold on me."

Allegra felt her heart flutter and she wanted to punch herself for being such a girl.

"Not like the others," her voice quivered. "You're perfectly able to disappear."

She had her hand on the seat between them, leaning on it, and she felt his hand brush over hers and then settle there, gently gripping her fingers with his fingertips. Her whole body went on red-alert and she suddenly felt like any sudden movements would make her throw up.

"Here," Blaise reappeared, Draco moved his hand away and most of the sick feeling disappeared with it.

Blaise stood there for a couple of beats longer than natural, obviously aware that he had interrupted something, then handed her the package and sat back down.

"My mum bought it for you, from us," Blaise said. Allegra started unwrapping it but looked up at him to raise her eyebrows, Blaise's mother hadn't sent her a present in maybe two years. "I know," he said. "But you know how she is, getting to seventeen is _becoming a woman_."

Allegra snorted, but stopped finding it funny when she pulled out a full length black dress with a gold collar. Probably real gold too, knowing her. A note inside read: _Happy Birthday, Allegra. In this you will look the beautiful young woman you have become. Come and visit me soon, and send your father my love. Love Electra and Blaise X_

"Holy crap," Allegra said. "I will never have an occasion to wear this."

"I don't know," Draco said. "If you stick with us you might. You'd be surprised what I have to wear to parties."

"You have to wear this?" she shook the dress at him and they laughed. "No, you have to wear a suit."

"You will have to come and see her soon, you know," Blaise said, not entirely pleased but not unhappy either. "She will summon you."

"When the Electra Zambini calls, you go," Allegra nodded. "D'you think she wants to marry my dad?"

"I wouldn't blame her," Draco said. "I'd marry your dad."

Allegra spent the rest of the afternoon with them and parted at dinner, thanking them for the gifts – the dress was ridiculously beautiful, even if it was probably only going to live in her wardrobe – and hinted at Draco to try his notebook out later that night, which he seemed to understand.

When Hermione, Pavarti and Lavender were all in bed, Allegra closed the curtains around her bed, used her wand as a light and opened the notebook in her lap.

The first page was blank. She stared at it for a while but nothing happened. She picked up the open notebook to bring it closer to her face, wondering the writing was just so faint she couldn't see it, but the moment her fingers touched the first page, writing appeared.

 _OWNER OF COMU-BOOK-A_

 _PLEASE PUT THREE FINGERS OF YOUR CHOICE ON THE PAGE_

Aether did as she was told, using the three middle fingers of her right hand.

 _PLEASE WAIT…_

 _YOU ARE NOW THE SOLE RECEIVER OF MESSAGES FOR THIS COMU-BOOK._

 _IF YOU LATER DECIDE TO SHARE THIS COMU-BOOK WITH ANOTHER PERSON, PLEASE HOLD YOUR CHOSEN FINGERS ON THE PAGE FOR A FULL 30 SECONDS._

 _NOW PLEASE ENTER A SEQUENCE WHICH WILL ALLOW YOU TO RECEIVE YOUR MESSAGES FROM THE PAIRED COMU-BOOK._

 _FOR EXAMPLE: TAP EACH ONE OF YOUR CHOSEN FINGERS ON THE BOOK TWICE – WE DON'T RECOMMEND YOU USE THIS PASSCODE._

Aether thought for a moment about what she thought would be easiest to remember, then tapped her middle finger three times, her ring finger once and her index finger twice.

 _TO CONFIRM YOUR CHOSEN PASSGCODE, PLEASE REPEAT IT NOW._

Aether did so.

 _PASSCODE CONFIRMED_

 _COMU-BOOK-A IS NOW READY TO RECEIVE AND SEND MESSAGES_

Aether tapped her passcode and waited, and after a moment blue writing appeared.

 **Hello?**

 _Hello_ , Aether wrote back with her green quill. Both the blue writing and her green disappeared. Then she sat and waited, and just as she was about to give up for the night, another line appeared.

 **This better be Allegra.**

 _Who else would it be?_

 **I don't know. This comu-book thing isn't like anything I've ever seen before. Where did you get it?**

 _Hermione and Pavarti bought it from Fred & George's for me. _

**Those boys are smart.**

 _I know. So are Hermione and Pavarti for thinking of this._

 **That's true. So do they know you have given me the other one?**

 _Yes. Actually they suggested it._

 **Really?**

 _Yeah_

 **Who would you have given it to if Harry and Ron bought them for you?**

 _Still you_

Draco didn't seem to know what to say, so just drew a smiley face.

 _I'm not sure these will be that useful now, but I think they will be later._

There was a pause before he replied.

 **I think you know a lot more than you let on.**

 _Probably. I'm 99% sure you know more than you are telling me._

 **You know I'm not telling you things.**

 _I'm 100% about that. I'm also sure that Blaise is. But if what I think is true, then you know more about me_

Allegra stopped but the message sent unfinished. She wanted to change her mind about bringing that up, but she couldn't go back now.

 _Than you can admit._

 **Well this is all very cryptic.**

 _It has to be, I guess. For both of us._

 **Not forever.**

 _I hope not._

 **Before we go, do you want to cash in a voucher?**

 _Yes. I get half an hour in the library with you tomorrow – at 2._

 **See you then, honey**

 _X_

Allegra watched the writing all fade away, then closed the book. She tucked it under her pillow and drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next day she went to meet Draco at the library at the arranged time. She was surprised that Draco had written the library onto his vouchers, but she supposed it was a quiet place where they could get lost from prying eyes easily amongst the bookshelves.

Allegra arrived first and sat down on a bench near the entrance, watching other students who were using their Sunday to meet and chat or do their homework together. As she spotted Ethan and some of Ginny's friends across the room, Draco appeared in front of her.

"Hello," she said looking up at him.

"You alright?" Allegra nodded once in reply. "Then let's go and find the strangest books we can to entertain ourselves."

Allegra led him into the bowels of the library to the area where she and Hermione had once found a book on wizard transfiguration gone wrong. They poked through the dusty shelves, chatting quietly about benign things and generally just enjoying each other's company. She felt like for once Draco wasn't watching the clock. Even when she was sure they had been there for her allotted half an hour, he made no signs of leaving.

"Look," he said, pointing up at the very top shelf. "Animagi Breeding: Ventures into the Animalistic, tell me that doesn't sound interesting."

Allegra grinned and saw the black and gold spine maybe as much as six feet above her head. It slid off the shelf and leisurely floated down and into Allegra's hands where she opened it to the introduction, Draco looking over her shoulder.

"This book's journey began in the summer of 1909, when my dear friend Bilobus Gillweed told me a story of two Animagi of the canine variety, who conceived and gave birth to their child in their animal form. He relayed that their child had been born a puppy first, then turned back into a baby as the mother did –" Draco stopped reading as Allegra slammed the book shut and span around to look at him.

"You do know!" she hissed.

"Know what?" Draco said, completely confused.

Allegra swallowed. While he had read the opening passage of the book she had thought about what a lovely time she was having, how they were both so relaxed, and how she felt like she could be herself with him like – like – like how she had just blatantly retrieved the book from above their heads with no wand and no words, and he hadn't even flinched!

She wasn't sure where to go from there. One side of her brain was telling her 'just let it go, he's a man, they're oblivious!', but the other half was a red flashing light and siren.

To Draco's credit, he just stood patiently and waited while Allegra had the inner turmoil he knew nothing about.

So she just repeated herself, "So you do know."

"Honey," he said, "I have literally no idea what you are talking about."

Allegra got a little irritated and levitated the book about four inches above her open hands for three seconds and then caught it.

Draco only reacted with silence, but he didn't tense up, didn't look up at her with surprise or confusion.

"Dammit, you do!" Ethan and Ginny's fifth year friends appeared a few rows down from them and looked up as she gasped and shout-whispered, "You do – and that means," a second gasp, "You are!"

Ethan seemed especially interested.

Draco calmly took the book from her hands and set it down on the shelf beside them. He didn't look like he entirely understood what all her gasping was about, but he at least understood that right there was not the place to have the coming discussion.

"Come on," he said in such a low tone that only Allegra could hear, took her hand and pulled her out of the fifth years' view, all the way back out of the library and into a dark corner that was thrown into shadows by the grand pillars in the library hallway. "So… what?"

Allegra almost growled, annoyed by how calm he was. She was not calm. She had known – at least she was very sure she had known, but now Draco had wordlessly confirmed all of her suspicions and everything she hadn't wanted to believe.

And he had the cheek to stand there and look down at her with nothing more than a little concern on his features. Concern for her!

Allegra spluttered and then managed, "Where to start!?"

"What do I know?" he asked calmly.

Allegra was finding forming whole sentences difficult, so with the buzzing magic she felt vibrating her body, she held out her left hand, palm up, and let a green flame burst to life.

Draco at least had the decency to look a little surprised by the display.

"Yes," he said eventually, "I know."

The flame immediately disappeared and it felt darker in the corner than it had before. Allegra closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them a second or two later, he was looking at her seriously and his blue eyes were hard.

"I'm sorry, I know you didn't want me to know," he said, sounding dejected.

Allegra made a squeak with her throat involuntarily, and shook her head.

"I didn't not want you to know," she said. "You couldn't know."

"Why?"

"For the exact reason you know! Draco, I'm not upset that you know, I'm upset that you know!"

Draco's eyes narrowed and he couldn't help but smile, "What?"

Allegra didn't return it. "Look, you know because," she swallowed, "I'm important to a certain Dark L-"

"Don't say it," he said suddenly.

"But it's true, isn't it?" she said, pain punctuating her words. "I mean, I knew, but I didn't really want to know."

Draco nodded slowly.

"And Blaise?"

He hesitated for just a second and then nodded again. A pregnant pause settled and then Draco said, "I knew you knew."

They stared at each other and then Allegra smiled, Draco too, and they couldn't help but laugh – the conversation was completely ridiculous.

"So, is it true?" he asked cautiously after the seriousness had returned. "Can you really do anything, without a wand or even incantation?"

"Presumably if we're both stood here together, anything I say to you is safe? I mean, for both of us?"

"It has been so far," he answered honestly, and each honest thing they said to each other seemed to take more weight from their shoulders.

"Then yes. Generally it has to be within fifty-foot of me, but yes. Anything."

He pondered that for a second.

"That's pretty cool."

"It would be," she said, heat rising in her voice again. "If only I didn't have to worry about mother-fucking Vold-"

"Don't."

"- wanting to capture me and use me to torture and kill people, and god knows what else, or if I could tell people and them not run in terror from someone who can kill them in what they think is a blink of an eye –"

"It's not?"

Goddamn it, he was genuinely interested!

"I haven't tried! But it's still fucking tiring!" she shouted, then realised where she was. "It's tiring enough not letting it run wild. It wants to do everything and I can't let it. And then I bloody relax with you and it just flows right out." Allegra sighed and thought about slumping to the floor.

"It's just another quality that makes you special," he said.

Allegra laughed, "Yeah, or, I'm a weapon of mass-destruction."

"Well," he smiled. "Anything within a fifty-foot radius of you."

Allegra punched him in the arm and they both tried not to smile. They failed. She looked up and found his eyes.

"Can I see it?" she asked softly.

He raised an eyebrow, "See what?"

"Your dark-m-" he put his hand over her mouth so the rest came out as a mumble. He took it away and stood there thinking for a solid five seconds.

"Yes," he said, and turned her around so that she had her back in the corner looking out towards the hall. Then he got close enough that no one else would be able to see what he was doing, and pulled up the sleeve of his left arm.

His skin was soft and white, and two veins stood out slightly on the way down to his wrist. In the middle were the jet black lines of the dark-mark. It was still like a muggle tattoo, not moving like she had seen some Death Eaters' marks do last year. Draco watched her carefully, and when she reached out to run her fingers over it he didn't flinch away.

"It's kind-of beautiful," she said. "In a horrific way."

Draco pulled his sleeve back down and then stared at her. Allegra watched as a mixture of emotions washed over him; he was amused, horrified, happy, depressed, and above all, relieved.

"You are…" He moved closer. His eyes had that look in them again, that great affection that almost made Allegra squirm under the intensity of it. Only the amount of pure emotion that had passed in the last five minutes had her frozen in place. "Just –" he didn't have a chance to finish his thought, because suddenly they were kissing, hard and with the same intensity as his eyes. She was backed up into the corner and Draco leaned one arm against the wall and held her with the other. Neither of them moved – barely breathed – until the floor under their feet shook and Draco broke apart.

"Was that an earthquake?"

"Um…"

"Wait, that was you?"

Allegra shrugged and flushed, "I told you, it's a lot of effort to keep under control and you – you really distracted me."

"So it's not just spells, it's just – just what? Raw magic?"

Allegra nodded, still embarrassed.

He seemed to think about it and then a grin broke out on his face, "At least I know I rock your world."

Allegra tried desperately not to laugh, but it was impossible. "I, um, think we should talk about all this another time."

Now Draco did look at his watch and nodded.

"Yeah, we are gunna have to. I'll write to you tonight."

Allegra nodded, and he stood there with a soft-of breathless smile, and left. Allegra had to stand there for several minutes to get back her composure. She didn't want to go back to the common room looking completely giddy, or guilty.

Hermione had told Allegra she would be doing her homework by the windows in the common room or up in their dorm. Ron was on one of the sofas with Harry, so naturally Allegra found Hermione up in their dorm.

"Hey," Allegra said, entering and closing the door behind her. Hermione had her back to the door, sat at their shared desk, and when she saw Allegra her eyes narrowed.

"What have you been up to?"

"What do you mean?" Allegra said cooly, keeping the squeaky-guilty Allegra under lock and key. She'd decided to not tell Hermione about what had just happened… at least not until she'd figured it out for herself. That was of course, unless Hermione guessed and saw right through her.

Hermione took her in for a long second.

"I meant, did you have fun with Draco?"

"Yep."

"Yep?" she asked sceptically. "Just yep?"

"Yep."

"Right," Hermione sighed.

"Are you almost done?"

"Almost, just give me a minute to finish." Allegra nodded and went to her bed. While Hermione wasn't looking she opened her comu-book and tapped in her passcode. When no messages appeared, she wrote:

 _Hey, I think we should talk in person… Do I need to use another one of my vouchers?_

She closed the notebook, put it back under her pillow and waited patiently for Hermione to finish.

Hermione put her things down and stood up.

"I know when you're hiding something from me, Allegra Boone," she said. "I don't know what it is, but I will find out."

"I always tell you everything," Allegra said. _Eventually_.

"Yeah, I know," Hermione said.

At dinner Allegra repeatedly caught herself staring across the room at the Slytherin table. Blaise and Draco came in late, but once they were there she and Draco kept catching each other's eye across the room.

When it was time for bed Allegra got ready and opened her comu-book and tapped in the passcode.

 **Agreed, no, you keep hold of those. I'll give you tomorrow for free.**

 _It will just be quick, lunch or evening?_

 **Lunch time?**

 _Okay, where?_

 **Front courtyard, cold but we'll be clear of any eavesdroppers.**

 _Bring me an extra coat?_

 **Anything.**

 _1.30?_

 **See you then, honey.**

 _X_

Allegra put the comu-book and quill back under her pillow and after a time, slipped off to sleep, where she had both beautiful and nightmarish dreams.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

After eating a quick lunch Allegra slipped outside to the front courtyard to meet Draco. It was an average frosty February day, and she wasn't dressed for it. Allegra couldn't have brought a coat with her without alerting Hermione, Ron or Harry to the fact she was planning to go outside. She probably could have shrunk one… but she was only realising that now.

Because it was freezing.

Draco was standing on the opposite side of the courtyard from the doors, looking over the wall out onto the grounds. Allegra tried to ignore the urge to shiver and walked the distance to him.

"Hey," she said. He turned to her, and they both suppressed a smile.

"Hey."

A moment of silence passed, not uncomfortable, just to allow them to collect themselves. Allegra knew what she wanted to say, she just didn't know how to start.

"So," Draco breathed in deeply, "I think I should tell you something."

Allegra watched him and waited, thankful that he had something to say.

"I can't tell you anything concrete," he said, eyes flicking from hers, out to the view, and back again.

"I didn't expect you to," Allegra said. Draco relaxed at this, and his shoulders lowered.

"I am doing something… stupid. Incredibly stupid, but there's just no other way."

Allegra nodded and then shivered hugely, as though all of the repressed shivers had surfaced.

"You're cold," he said, immediately shrugging off his jacket and trying to hand it to her.

"So will you be if you give me that," she said, stepping back.

"I'm a man, we run hot. I couldn't bring you a spare, when I went to the wardrobe Blaise asked me what I was doing." When Allegra didn't move he draped it around her shoulders and she wrapped it around herself. "Blaise knows about you."

"I guessed that," Allegra said. "He's marked the same way you are."

That sent Draco's eyes darting around the courtyard again, but he seemed reassured that the few other students outside were minding their own business.

"Yes, but neither of us knew to what extent, and I haven't told him. I've learned Occlumency," he said.

Surprise passed over Allegra's features and then disappeared, "That makes a lot of sense."

"I've tried teaching him some but he can't keep things hidden like I can. Realistically, we have to keep him in the dark about all of this."

Allegra nodded, "I thought that, too."

"The problem will be if he guesses. Whatever he thinks of you and I he can keep hidden, but I don't think he could if he was scared."

Allegra looked at a couple of Ravenclaws hurrying across the courtyard.

"Do you think you could play it off as trying to get me close enough to – er," kidnap wasn't quite the right word.

"At the moment, yeah. But if he knew how I really… what has happened… no. I don't think that would be possible. Even if they believe that it is all a lie, they would want to know why I hadn't just found a way to get you away from Hogwarts."

"Because I'm not an idiot?"

Draco grinned, "It's probably best they don't know that."

"So we keep more secrets," Allegra turned and looked out toward Hagrid's hut. Draco swapped to her right side and looked out the same way.

"Yeah," he agreed softly, sounding about as pleased about it as Allegra. They watched birds fly above the grounds and over the Forbidden Forest, and then the cold forced her to get her words together.

"We can't – we can't be together."

"No," Draco agreed grimly, not looking at her.

"That would be stupid."

"Stupid," he nodded.

"Not with the way things are and not with how they are going."

They stood in silence.

Draco turned to look at her, "I can't do that. Not completely."

"Good," Allegra smiled. "Neither can I."

"So, we aren't together… unless we are literally together – and alone."

"Yes. Things are no different to how they were the day before yesterday."

"Unless we're alone."

"Unless we're alone," Allegra repeated.

They looked back out to the forest again, trying to resist the urge to use each other for warmth. They probably would have done that before… but still.

"I'll try and get this ready," Draco mumbled, without looking at her. "Give us some time." Allegra found that so vague that she just waited for him to come back to her. "Those books will make it easier for us."

"Yes," Allegra agreed, a quiver in her voice from a shiver. The sound of it got Draco's attention and he stood up straight in front of her.

"Then I guess we'll be missing; better get back," he said reluctantly, glancing around the courtyard and wishing that the few students there would leave.

Allegra nodded, doing the same. She took off his jacket and handed it back to him. He took it and her hand at the same time, and walked the twenty-feet to a pillar and archway that together provided just enough wall to hide them.

She smiled as he pulled her towards him and they kissed again, just long enough to be sure they wouldn't get caught, then they separated and walked together back inside and then in separate directions; Draco to the dungeons and Allegra up the stairs.

The next day was Saturday and day of their first Apparition lesson. Allegra walked down to the hall an hour after breakfast with Harry and Hermione. Harry had managed to ditch Ron and Lavender, though they'd seen them walking down the stairs ahead of them and Allegra thought Ron looked distinctly distant and sullen.

The tables and benches had all been pushed against the walls and the Heads of House were standing on the small stage at the front of the room, plus a small man who Allegra assumed was the Apparition Instructor. He was the kind of man who you might only notice because they are so beige. His hair was a wispy blonde, along with his eyebrows, eyelashes and even his skin seemed to be a similar colour. His eyes were very pale blue so that he had to squint even in the light of the hall, with the dark rain lashing against the windows.

Once all of the students on the list had arrived the pale man began.

'Good morning, my name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test. As you may know, it is usually impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts. The Headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practise. May I emphasise that you will not be able to apparate outside the walls of this hall, and that you would be unwise to try.

"I would like each of you to place yourself now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you."

Everyone moved around to get the space they need. Allegra spotted Draco and Blaise ahead of her, and feeling the eyes on the back of his head Draco turned, caught her eye and smiled.

She felt heat on her cheeks – goddamn, that never happened before! She was going to have to stop doing that or people would guess that something had changed.

"Good. Now then," Twycross waved his wand. Old fashioned wooden hoops instantly appeared on the floor in front of every student. "The important things to remember when apparating are the three Ds! Destination, determination, deliberation! Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the desired _destination_ , in this case inside the hoop in front of you. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

Allegra glanced around at everyone, who seemed to have the same idea, and then settled down to stare at the floor inside the hoop.

"Step two: focus your _determination_ to occupy the visualised space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body!"

Allegra didn't know how much she _yearned_ to be inside the hoop, considering it was just a step away.

"Step three: and only when I give the command… turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with _deliberation_! On my command, now… one –"

Allegra looked up – most other people had too, they were just suddenly going to do it?!

"- two –"

Allegra looked back at her hoop, a moment ago she thought it was stupid to only go that far but now that she was being asked to try it seemed just fine.

"- THREE!"

Allegra spun – a moment of black – and appeared inside the hoop. Almost everyone else had stumbled or flat-out fallen over.

Professor McGonagall seemed to have seen and came bustling down between the other students to Allegra. A few other people had seen Allegra's success, but most people were busy standing back up.

"Well done, Allegra," she whispered. "I'm not surprised you have found it so easy, just don't overdo it, we don't want to arouse suspicion… especially from –" she made eyes towards the Instructor.

Allegra nodded, tried to ignore the fact that McGonagall's rushing over had drawn more attention, and focused back on the class was McGonagall returned to the front.

"Never mind, never mind," Twycross said. He didn't look like he'd expected anything more. Allegra thought he glanced in her direction for a fraction longer than normal, but the way he squinted she couldn't be sure. "Adjust your hoops and get back to your original positions.

Allegra looked at the hoop, started to turn – and appeared in the hoop. Looking around it seemed no one else had done much better than the first time, but more people were eying her. Draco and Blaise were looking back too.

The third time was the same.

"God, Allegra," Pavarti said, and Allegra turned around to see her. "Are you bad at anything?"

Allegra couldn't think of anything to say, so just turned around, stepped out of her hoop and tried not to catch anyone's eye.

The four time was different. The fourth time when Allegra appeared within her hoop there was a terrible scream behind her. She spun to see that Susan Bones, a girl in Hufflepuff Allegra hadn't had much contact with, was wobbling inside her hoop with her left leg five feet behind her.

The teachers ran from the stage and converged on her, and with a great bang and a puff of purple smoke, Susan was reunited with her leg.

She was sobbing openly, looking horrified.

"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts," Wilkie Twycross said dispassionately, "occurs when the when the mind is insufficiently _determined_. You must concentrate continually upon your _destination_ , and move, without haste, but with _deliberation_ … thus."

Twycross stepped forward, turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched and vanished in a swirl of robes, reappearing at the back of the hall.

"Remember the three Ds," he said again, and Allegra turned off. Okay, this man was starting to get seriously annoying.

Another six times of apparating and appearing five feet away in the hoop and Allegra was positively bored. After Susan's accident people were hesitant to try, and when they did they were so vigorous with their turns that they often spun away and hit someone else.

Allegra sat down cross-legged in the hoop. If McGonagall hadn't warned her, she probably would have tried for the whole hall, but since she'd told her not to show off she decided it was probably better to just sit it out.

After an hour it seemed that no one else had got it, even a little.

"Until next Saturday, everybody, and do not forget: _Destination. Determination. Deliberation._ " Twycross waved his wand and the hoops disappeared, and he walked out of the hall with Professor McGonagall. He gave Allegra a good looking over has he passed, but presumably he already knew who she was anyway.

"Well, look who's best at everything as normal," Hermione said, not looking particularly distressed. They had predicted before the lesson that Allegra would find it unbearably easy, and they hadn't been wrong.

"Hey, I can't help it if I'm perfect in every way," she grinned, joining Hermione in leaving the hall.

"Allegra, could you be bad at magic for once?" Dean called, giving her a shoulder-squeeze as he passed with Seamus. He shot her a good natured smile and moved off.

"Oh good, everyone's noticed," Allegra said.

Once in the Entrance Hall Blaise and Draco caught up.

"Merlin, Allegra," Blaise said. "I might as well not bother learning, you can just take me everywhere."

"Only if you pay me obnoxious amounts of money," she said. She looked up and caught Draco's eye, held it, and looked away.

"Talk to you later," he said, Allegra nodded, and the two boys moved off in the direction of the Dungeons.

Allegra followed the non-Slytherins up the stairs.

"That was a little curt," Hermione said, moving out of the way for a young matching pair of blonde Ravenclaws that were on their way down.

"What d'you mean?"

"Ma-Draco, he's been more… talkative, recently."

Allegra shrugs, trying for complete nonchalance.

"He's probably on his way somewhere." _Plus when he says "Talk to you later" he means in our notebooks_ , Allegra thinks, but she's not going to tell Hermione that.

"Mmm," Hermione doesn't look placated, but doesn't seem to push, either.

A week later, hours after their second Apparition Lesson (which was about as successful for everyone else as the first), Allegra came down from her dorm to find Harry and Hermione in a dark corner of the common room, looking at the Marauders' Map.

"Allegra, come over here," Harry said. Hermione looked up, saw Allegra, and her whole face tightened. Allegra stiffened, she was so not going to like this.

"What is it?" She joined them in the corner.

"Look, I've been keeping an eye on the map and seeing where Malfoy and Zambini have been off to, they keep disappearing – look!" On a part of the map Harry is pointing to, Allegra saw Draco's name and footprints appear, seemingly out of a wall and start down the corridor.

Allegra saw Hermione glance at her out the corner of her eye.

"What does that mean? Is the map working properly?"

"We don't know, and yes, I think so," Hermione said. Allegra frowned at it, watching his footsteps start down the stairs and –

"I'll have to talk about this later," she said, backing away from them.

"Wait, no, Allegra – I want to talk about this –" Harry said, wanting to follow her but fortunately for Allegra, there were enough other students in the room that he couldn't follow with the map out.

"Later," she emphasised.

Hermione mumbled a "Sorry, Harry," and quickly followed.

"Where are you going?"

Allegra pulled a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of her skinny jeans and passed it to Hermione, who unfolded it.

"Good for one walk outside," she read. "These are a good idea." Hermione passed the note back to Allegra and she tucked it back in her pocket.

"Yep." Allegra had shared Draco's present with Hermione after she asked Allegra how many hundreds of galleons he had spent on her this time.

"I think it shows a better side of him," she said as they stepped out of the portrait and stopped on the landing. As though she had timed it perfectly (and she had seen him on the map), Draco had just arrived outside.

Hermione saw him and immediately flushed pink.

"I'll be in the library," she said very quickly, and practically ran down the stairs.

"She was talking about me, wasn't she?" Draco smiled.

"Yeah, she likes the coupons," Allegra said, and they both started down the stairs.

"I'll remember that for her next birthday, Good For One Week of Complete Avoidance."

Allegra pulled a face at him, "She doesn't hate you, you know."

"Well, I don't think she wants to take winter walks around the lake with me, either."

Allegra pretended she had to think about it, "No, probably not."

They spent the next hour taking a walk around the lake in the complete grey day near the end of February. Allegra was pretty pissed to find so many other students had decided to do the same thing. Sure, it was about the only thing to do outside these days, but goddamn it! All she wanted to do was have a private stroll so she could at least take his hand!

They managed it for all of five minutes, and at the end of the walk she had say goodbye without a kiss. Saturdays were apparently not a good day to find a quiet spot to be together.

The first day of March arrived, and seemed to bring with it better weather, and Ron's seventeenth birthday. After breakfast, in which Ron and Harry had not appeared, Allegra had an Animangi lesson in which she managed to turn her foot into something that looked like either a bird or reptile claw, freaked out, and couldn't do it again. Before she left McGonagall's office, the Professor had been sure to remind her to not show off in front of the Ministry Apparation Instructor in the Apparition lesson they would both head down to in about an hour.

It wasn't that she was trying to show off, it was just that she found apparating as easy as every other magic she had been asked to produce so far that year. The problem was, she was good at it, but she also wanted to practice, and that meant being good at it every time. It seemed to translate to everyone else as showing off.

Allegra trudged up the stairs to the common room for the second time that morning (well, at least she was going to be fit) and found Hermione rushing out of the portrait to find her.

"Allegra!"

"I'm not late, Hermione, we've got an hour until –" Allegra caught sight of Hermione's expression. "Hermione what's wrong?"

"It's Ron," she said shrilly, the bottom lids of her eyes barely keeping hold of the tears hovering there. "He's been poisoned!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Professor McGonagall needn't have warned Allegra about not showing off in her Apparition Lesson that day, since she didn't actually attend. She and Hermione ran down to the Hospital Wing and were told by Professor Dumbledore to wait outside.

"Do you think he's okay?" Hermione asked again, about an hour and a half into sitting outside the Hospital Wing. "No one's come out in hours!"

"I don't know, Hermione, I think –"

Professor Dumbledore emerged from the doors and Hermione shot up off the bench.

"Professor –"

"He's going to be fine, Miss Granger," he smiled.

Hermione looked like she might faint with relief, but she steadied herself with a hand on the wall and said a breathless "Good."

"Madame Pomfrey believes he'll sleep for a few days, but I expect she'll allow you to visit in a few hours," Dumbledore said. "May I suggest you go down and catch lunch while it is still available?"

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, but made no move to leave.

Professor Dumbledore gave them a pressed lipped smile and walked away down the stairs.

"Hermione," Allegra said.

"No."

"Hermione, please, I'm so hungry," Allegra tried again.

"What if he –"

"He's not going to wake up yet, Dumbledore just told us that."

Hermione looked torn.

"If he wakes up and we're eating lunch, I give you permission to punch or hex me," Allegra bargained, leaning forward on the bench and gripping the edge tightly. Her stomach growled again; it was already eating itself.

Hermione looked reluctant for a long minute.

"Uh, fine," she relented.

"Good," Allegra jumped up, feeling like her butt was going to be flat for the rest of her days from sitting on that uncomfortable hard bench for so many hours.

"But if something happens while we're gone –"

"I give you permission to try and cause me pain in whatever way you wish," Allegra said, "now come on."

Together they descended the three floors to the hall and Allegra tried to hurry Hermione along. It would be just their luck to get there and find the food disappear before their eyes. Hermione could probably go and talk to the House Elves to get some, but Allegra had a feeling she wouldn't bother.

"Allegra," Draco and Blaise appeared coming out of the Hall, and immediately her feet stopped working and she was glued to the spot. Well, great. If every time she heard his voice she lost control of her lower limbs, she was going to be in trouble.

Allegra smiled, trying to share it between the two boys equally and resist the urge to panic and look at Hermione to see if she had caught some invisible unknown sign of something Allegra didn't know she'd given. Hermione had a way of knowing Allegra's thoughts, and she already suspected something.

"Hey," Allegra said coolly, "lunch isn't over yet, then?"

"Not yet," Blaise said.

"Where were you this morning?" Draco asked, he'd tried for a light, general interest in his tone, but he'd missed and landed in concerned. He glanced at Hermione, "Hi, Hermione."

Hermione and Blaise gaped at him.

 _Tone it down!_ Allegra wanted to scream at him.

"None of you were in Apparition," he continued, in a colder tone. Allegra inwardly sighed. If Hermione hadn't noticed anything from Allegra's body language, she'd surely have something to say now. Draco's tone was like two handled kite, whipping all over the place.

"It's Ron," Allegra said, her tone strained, which she was only going to get away with because of the situation. "He was poisoned."

The boys' eyes grew suitably wide and then their features settled into frowns.

"What, why? How?" Blaise asked.

"It's his birthday," Hermione said, her voice shaking slightly. "He found some chocolates some fifth-year girl had given Harry, they contained love potion but they were old, so Harry took him to Professor Slughorn and, and…"

"Something he drank had poison in it," Allegra said, sensing that Hermione's throat was closing up.

"He's going to be okay, but we haven't been able to go in and see him yet, only Harry and Ginny have been allowed in."

"Fuck," Blaise said.

"Yep," Allegra grimaced. "We've been waiting outside all morning. Dumbledore doesn't think he's going to wake up for a few days, so we've come down to get something to eat."

Allegra glanced at Hermione, she was pale and shaky again, her hands were pressed to her stomach like she felt sick. Maybe they would be best taking some food back upstairs.

When she turned back Draco had a strange look on his face, and was watching her intently. Allegra couldn't read what he was feeling, so she took a step back away from him and took Hermione's arm in hers.

"Okay, well, we'd better get some sustenance or we'll end up in the Hospital Wing too," Allegra said, trying for a light tone.

"Let me—us—know if there's anything you need," Draco said.

Allegra nodded and quickly pulled Hermione through the doors into the Hall.

"All right," Hermione stopped walking just inside and stepped over to the wall. "What's going on?"

Allegra attempted ignorance. "What do you mean?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Don't play dumb, Allegra, that was the weirdest encounter I've ever had with those two, and it wasn't anything to do with Blaise. What happened between you two?"

Allegra looked at Hermione's expression. She looked less sick than thirty seconds ago, and Allegra wondered if maybe giving Hermione something else to think about would be a good thing. She hadn't really thought she could keep Hermione from knowing for long… Just, how much should she tell her?

"Um," Allegra shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back. "There may have been a kiss… or two."

Hermione squeaked, though when Allegra looked up suddenly Hermione didn't exactly look excited. Apparently, that wasn't what Hermione had been expecting to hear. Allegra stepped in close and lowered her voice.

"But we've agreed that nothing can happen and it must be kept a secret, Hermione, _a secret_. I'm telling you because you are almost impossible to keep anything from, but Blaise definitely cannot know."

Hermione's brows drew together but she nodded, "all right. Why?"

"He just can't, it is very, very important that he doesn't find out."

"Would he be angry?" Hermione stepped away from the wall and towards the Gryffindor table where there were still a few dozen students eating their lunch.

"No, I don't think so, I think he'd probably be the opposite," Allegra said. She really didn't want to explain everything to Hermione, not now, at least. It was too complicated to explain in the crowded hall: Blaise and Draco were Death Eaters (and wow, that still felt weird to think with certainty) and Death Eaters needed to be more than proficient at Occulmency to protect their thoughts from… higher Death Eaters? Allegra wondered if there were ranks.

Draco could protect his thoughts, but Blaise couldn't, at least not anything important. And if Blaise knew there would be no way Draco would be able to persuade other Death Eaters that their relationship was just a ploy to capture her. They'd see all the moments and know how Blaise felt about it.

"So… the problem is?" Hermione sat down on the bench and Allegra sat down beside her.

"He's a you-know-what, and other you-know-what's could easily find out you-know-what from him, whereas Blondie can hide it, the same way Harry can."

"Okay, so we're going to need to change the subject while we're at this table," Hermione said, the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Yep," Allegra laughed, "unless you want to talk in broken code the whole time."

Allegra and Hermione spent the whole day sat outside the Hospital Wing. Harry and Ginny were waiting outside when they returned from lunch, so fortunately for Allegra, Hermione couldn't and didn't bring up the Draco and Blaise incident again. It wasn't until after dinner (which Allegra and Ginny had carried upstairs from the hall) that they were finally allowed inside. Fred and George turned up ten minutes later.

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" Fred said, pulling up a chair and sitting down on the opposite side of the bed to Allegra and Hermione.

"It's probably going to be the only one he was mostly unconscious for," Allegra said.

The Hospital Wing was lit with the gentle glow of lamps spotted around the room.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," George said grimly, putting down a large present on Ron's bedside table. He sat down next to Ginny on the spare bed next to Ron's. "There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him –"

"You were in Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked.

"We were thinking of buying Zonkos," George said, "a Hogsmeade branch, you know, but fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore… but never mind that now. How exactly did it happen, Harry?"

Harry retold the story for Fred and George, though Allegra noticed that it was a rather threadbare version of the story he had been repeating all day. When he finished the twins looked suitably impressed.

"Blimey, Harry," George said, "it was lucky you thought of a bezoar."

"Lucky there was one in the room," Harry said.

Hermione sniffed and Allegra turned to her suddenly. She wasn't crying again, though Allegra didn't think tears could be far away. No one could keep such a high level of stress all day and not be broken by what-ifs.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked Ginny.

"They've already seen him, they arrived a few hours ago – they went to Dumbledore's office but I think they'll be back soon."

Ron mumbled in his sleep.

"So the poison was in the drink?" Fred asked quietly.

"Yes," Harry said, "Slughorn poured it out –"

"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass without you seeing?"

"Probably, but why would he want to poison Ron?"

"No idea. You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get you?"

"Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I dunno," Fred said, "but there must be loads of people who'd like to poison Harry, mustn't there? The 'Chosen One' and all that?"

"No, not Slughorn," Allegra said, shaking her head. "He loves Harry."

"He could be under the Imperius Curse," George said.

"Or he could be innocent," Ginny said. "The poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side," Harry said. "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And… and maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."

"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas," Ginny reminded him. "So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore."

"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well," Hermione said. "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."

"Er-my-nee," Ron croaked. Allegra turned to him suddenly, but he was simply dreaming.

The Hospital Wing doors crashed open and Hagrid came striding in with a crossbow hanging casually at his side.

"Bin in the Forest all day!" he panted. "Aragog's worse, I bin readin' to him – didn' get up ter dinner til jus' now an' then Professor Sprout told me abou' Ron! How is he?"

"Not bad," Harry said, "They think he'll be okay."

"No more than six visitors at a time!" Madam Pomfrey said, hurrying out of her rooms.

"Hagrid's staff, doesn't that mean he can visit a pupil in need regardless?" Fred said.

"Oh… yes… all right," she nodded, turned around and disappeared back behind the door.

"I don' believe this," Hagrid said hoarsely, shaking his head and looking down at Ron. "Jus' don' believe it… look at him lyin' there… who'd want ter hurt him, eh?"

"That's what we were just discussing," Harry said. "We don't know."

"Someone couldn' have a grudge against the Gryffindor Quidditch team, could they?" Hagrid said. "Firs' Katie, now Ron…"

"I can't see anyone trying to bump off a Quidditch Team," George said, "plus surely you would try to take out the Captain first?"

"Wood might've done the Slytherins if he could've got away with it," Fred said with a grin.

"Well, I don't think it's Quidditch, but I think there's a connection between the attacks," Hermione said.

"How'd you work that out?" Fred asked.

"Well, for one thing, they both ought to have been fatal and weren't, although that was pure luck. And for another, neither the poison nor the necklace seems to have reached the person who was supposed to be killed. Of course, that makes the person behind this even more dangerous in a way, because they don't seem to care how many people they finish off before they actually reach their victim."

Before anyone had a chance to comment Mr and Mrs Weasley came into the Hospital Wing. Molly rushed straight up to Harry and enveloped him in a hug.

"Dumbledore told us how you saved him with a bezoar," she said, on the verge of tears. "Oh, Harry, what can we say? You saved Ginny… you saved Arthur… now you've saved Ron…"

"Don't be… I didn't…" Harry was turning red.

"Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it," Arthur said tightly. "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry."

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times but couldn't seem to find any words.

"Six visitors only," Madam Pomfrey repeated, sticking her head out of the door.

Allegra stood up, and Harry, Hermione and Hagrid all decided to leave Ron with his family.

Once in the Common Room Hermione and Allegra decided to go up to their dorm room to relax and go to bed.

"Allegra, there you are!"

Allegra jumped about a foot and spun around to find Cormac McLaggen stepping around smaller students to get to her. She looked back to find Hermione but saw her disappearing up the girls' stairs.

"I've been looking out for you all day," he said, "I saw Weasley being taken into the Hospital Wing this morning. Doesn't look like he's going to be able to play next week."

"Oh, right… no, I guess not."

"So I'll get to play in his place?"

"Yeah, that's how reserves work."

"Great," he beamed. "Great. So when's practice?"

"Tomorrow, 8pm," Allegra tried to turn away but Cormac caught her forearm.

"Wait, I've got some great ideas on –"

"Sure," Allegra pulled herself free, "see you tomorrow, Cormac. Don't be late."

Hermione didn't even have the nerve to look sheepish when Allegra got upstairs.

"So you didn't fancy an evening rendezvous with your sweetheart?"

Hermione mimicked throwing up. "No. And I'm seriously going to get rid of him soon. I don't know why he hasn't dumped me, to be honest, he must see me running away."

"Maybe he likes that you're still hard to get?"

Hermione snorted and turned to her bedside table to find a book.

Allegra crawled onto her bed, glanced at Pavarti and Lavender's side of the room – out of habit since she'd walked past already and knew they weren't there – and pulled the notebook and quill out from under her pillow. She glanced at Hermione, too, but she was still pondering which book to read.

Allegra opened it and tapped in her passcode.

 **How is he?** Appeared after only a second.

She picked up her quill – _He's going to be okay. Might take a few days before he's awake properly._

 **Are you all right?**

 _Yeah, just tired. Being that worried takes it out of you. Plus I think my butt is flat from sitting on a stone bench all day._

 **It better go back to normal or I'll have to find someone to sue.**

 _You like my butt?_

 **You have a great butt.**

Allegra laughed before she could stop herself. Hermione turned around, saw what she was doing and smiled coyly.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing."

 _Stop – you just made me laugh out loud and now Hermione's giving me the eye. By the way, we were NOT smooth earlier._

 **I wasn't trying to be funny: it's true. No, I know we weren't, did Hermione ask questions?**

 _She didn't just ask questions, I had to tell her the truth._

 **Shit. Well, Blaise asked a few but left it alone.**

 _He's the one who can't know._

 **I know.**

 _Hermione won't tell anyone._

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked, opening a large textbook on the bed in front of her.

"Today. Ron, mostly."

 **I hope not. Okay, Blaise wants my attention, I'll talk to you tomorrow, Honey.**

 _X_

"This is weird," Hermione said as Allegra shoved the notebook and quill back under her pillows.

"What is?"

"You… and him. Actually… you know… it's different."

"Why is it?"

"Because you're smiling more often than you're being infuriated."

Allegra raised her eyebrows. "And you've deduced that from a five-minute observation?"

"Look, all I'm saying is that when Katie got poisoned you were very reserved and suspicious, especially when it came to him. Today…"

"How could what happened today possibly have anything to do with Draco?"

Hermione shrugged.

"I guess I trust him," Allegra said, "as stupid as that may seem, or be. Not to be doing the right thing, obviously, but just… to not do anything to harm me, I guess."

"It is probably going to be a big mistake," Hermione said, but not in a tone that said she really meant it. "But I understand. And I'll trust you. He… seemed to be making an effort earlier."

"Yeah, I guess. He'd better not, though, or Blaise will catch on."

"Oh yeah, and why is it he can't know?"

"Occulmency. Draco has it down but Blaise doesn't. Someone could take the truth right out of his head. I probably know more about Death Eater's than the average person, but I don't know how they would react if they found out that Draco had feelings for me and had been lying to them about being unable to hand me over."

"Of course. But surely they know of Blaise's friendship with you, though? You've been friends for years."

Allegra shrugged. "I think maybe he's signed up as Draco's henchman, and not much more."

"We'd better hope so."

"Yeah. I think they'd hope for a quick death if the higher-ups found out."

"Or be kept somewhere to use against you," Hermione said darkly. "I think that's what they'd—" Pavarti and Lavender swung the door open. "—drink. It was very good. A kind of raspberry flavor. Anyway, we'd better get off to sleep," she said, picked up her wand and pulled both hers and Allegra's bed curtains closed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Allegra, how are you?" The voice came from behind, and she slowed to let Ethan catch up. She had just finished a free-period Animagus lesson with McGonagall (in which, once again, she'd turned one of her toes into something vaguely scaly and freaked out) and was on her way back to the common room. Her body ached, and though she liked Ethan well enough, could quite have done without his company.

"Good, thanks, and yourself?"

"Can't complain. How's Ron doing? Ginny told me all about it in Herbology a couple of days ago."

"She did?" Ethan nodded. "He's recovering. He's sitting up and talking, and has a sense of humor again, so I guess that must show something."

"Yeah, I had food poisoning once," he said with a grimace, "I was so ill I couldn't bear to do anything but lie there. Sounds like he's on his way. Hey, I meant to ask you, if you've got some free time this weekend do you want to meet up for a while?"

Allegra felt her muscles tense. She was well aware that the overly causal question was a veil for "do you want to go on a date?" or perhaps the better rephrasing would be "do you want to go on another date since, you know, that one you asked me on back in December went pretty well and I haven't had any signals to tell me that you're uninterested".

"Oh," she said, "well, I'm not sure about this weekend—we're playing Hufflepuff again on Sunday so I'm not sure I'll have enough time…" she caught the disappointment in his expression. "But we could try for the weekend after? Ravenclaw are playing Slytherin, so we could watch the game."

She didn't know why she said it. She was a complete idiot. She had been feeling guilty for using him for Slughorn's party, especially since it had actually _worked_ , and now she was only making it worse. _Plus_ , she was with Draco now… sort of.

"That sounds good," he smiled. _Oh Merlin;_ he was excited. Allegra bared her teeth at him in what she hoped was a smile. She was a _terrible_ person. She'd have to cancel. "I've got Charms in a few minutes, so I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Ethan," she waved, mentally berating herself.

Draco would not happy.

When Saturday rolled around, and the second match of the year against Hufflepuff, Allegra was about ready to pull her hair out.

"… and then I think that we should—"

" _Cormac_ ," Allegra said, unable to hide her exasperation, "please, give me five minutes."

Cormac looked distinctly unhappy, but backed off to mutter quietly at Allegra's Beaters. She was sure he was giving them instructions. Fortunately, Peakes was listening with obvious disinterest, and Coote didn't even turn to give Cormac the time of day.

"Ginny," Allegra said, walking to meet her at the mouth of the team-room. "Where the hell is Harry?"

"Here he is," Ginny nodded out the door. Harry came rushing in. "Where have you been?" Ginny demanded.

The rest of the team was dressed and ready to go. It was just Harry they were waiting for.

"I met Malfoy," he said, looking from Ginny to Allegra.

"So?" Ginny said.

"So I wanted to know how come he's in the castle with a couple of girlfriends while everyone else is down here."

Allegra squeaked. She hadn't mean to; it was an involuntary response. Harry paused in his getting ready to look up at her, and Ginny wore an expression Allegra didn't want to know the meaning of.

She tried to take a deep breath, clear her mind, remember the game, but the words came tumbling out: "What girls?"

"I don't know, two ugly Slytherins who looked as unhappy to be with him as he was with them."

"Oh. Good."

"Good?" Ginny repeated, an eyebrow arched.

"Yeah," Allegra shrugged. Twice. "Wouldn't want him to be having too much fun."

"Right, I'm ready," Harry told them, having pulled his robe over his underclothes, strapped on his armor, and shoved his glasses back on his face. "Let's go."

Allegra walked her team out onto the pitch, and they stopped in a group in the middle of their half.

"All right," Cormac said, "tricky conditions! Coote, Peakes, you'll want to fly out of the sun, so they don't see you coming."

"Dude," Allegra said, hands spread wide. "Who's the captain here? Go guard your goalposts." After shooting Allegra a less than respectful look, he turned and mounted his broom. She turned to her Beaters. "You will need to fly out of the sun, but do it while thinking about punching Cormac in the face." The boys laughed and mounted their brooms.

Soon, the match started and they all got down to business. Demelza, Ginny and Allegra got hold of the quaffle and wouldn't give it back. The Hufflepuff chasers just weren't fast enough to intercept.

Luna had taken over commentating from Zacharias Smith since he was playing, and every so often a piece of her airy narration would find its way into Allegra's consciousness. "… he regrets that now he's playing them—oh look, he's lost the quaffle, Ginny took it. Hufflepuff don't seem to know how to keep hold of that ball, perhaps they're infected with…"

When a chaser called Cadwallader (or something to that effect, Allegra couldn't quite catch it) finally got hold of the ball, he scored. Cormac hadn't been paying any attention—he had been telling Ginny how to do her job.

"Oi!" Allegra shouted, "Cormac! Do your own fucking job!"

"Only if you pay attention to yours!" he shouted back, red-faced and angry.

"Oh dear," Luna said loftily through the loudspeaker, "Professor, I can hear some terrible language coming from Allegra's mouth. Should I deduct points?"

Allegra got a hold of the quaffle again, and didn't let Hufflepuff have possession until they'd scored another three goals.

"Seventy-Forty to Gryffindor," McGonagall barked into Luna's megaphone.

"Is it all ready? Oh, look, the Gryffindor Keeper has taken one of the Beater's bats."

Allegra stopped chasing the quaffle and swung back to see McLaggen with Peakes' bat, showing him how to swing it. As Allegra bolted towards him, Harry also appeared.

"Will you give him back his bat and get back to the goalposts!" he roared, just as McLaggen took a ferocious swipe at the Bludger and mis-hit it—it flew left, and hit Harry with an audible, fleshy thud. A pained "oooo" rang out.

"Harry!" Allegra gasped, and she, Peakes and Cootes all shot towards him. The two boys managed to swoop under and catch Harry's limp body. As soon as her heart had settled back in her chest cavity, she glared up at McLaggen. "You will never have a place on my team again!"

The boys lowered Harry carefully to the floor, and the medical volunteers came running out onto the pitch. Madame Hooch flew down and turned to Allegra once she was sure Harry was safe and someone had taken his broom from the area of play. "What do you want to do, Captain?" she said. "You can forfeit or nominate a Seeker from your team."

"I'll play as Seeker," Allegra said, her eyes following Harry off the pitch. He wouldn't forgive her if she forfeited.

The game continued, but with one man down and morale low, they didn't stand a chance. What more, Allegra hadn't played Seeker in years, and couldn't quite keep up with the seventh year Hufflepuff Seeker, especially since her eyes wondered back to see what the quaffle was doing, or to see if Cormac was anywhere near the goal posts. In the end, they lost, two-hundred and twenty to ninety. Allegra snapped Cormac's broom in two when he was twelve-feet from landing. Fortunately, no one seemed to attribute the strange breakage to her.

Harry woke, head heavy and sore. He strained his neck and looked to his left.

"Nice of you to drop in," Ron grinned.

Harry blinked several times before he realised he was in the hospital wing. The sky outside was indigo streaked with crimson. The match had finished hours ago, and any hope he'd had to corner Malfoy was gone. He felt his forehead and found it wrapped with bandages.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Cracked skull," said Madam Pomfrey, bustling up and pushing him back down to his pillows. "Nothing to worry about, I mended it at once, but I'm keeping you in overnight. You shouldn't overexert yourself for a few hours."

"I don't want to stay here overnight," he said, "I want to find McLaggen and kill him."

"I'm afraid that would come under the heading of 'Overexertion'," Madame Pomfrey said. "You will stay here until I discharge you, Potter, or I shall call the Headmaster." She bustled back into her office and Harry sank back into his pillows, frowning.

"D'you know how much we lost by?" he asked Ron through clenched teeth.

"Well, yeah, I do," he said. "Final score was two-twenty to ninety."

Harry winced. "I bet Allegra wasn't happy."

"No—she wasn't. I could actually hear her screaming at Cormac from here. Plus, his broom inexplicably snapped in two," Ron grinned.

Harry thought Cormac deserved a lot worse, but at least Allegra had given him a taste of her temper.

"Ginny, Hermione, and Allegra came up to see you while you were unconscious," he said. Harry's imagination zoomed into overdrive, rapidly constructing a scene in which Ginny, weeping over his lifeless form, confessed her feelings of deep attraction to him while Ron gave them his blessing. "She reckons you only just arrived in time for the match. How come? You left here early enough."

"Oh. Yeah, well, I saw Malfoy sneaking off with a couple of girls who didn't look like they wanted to be with him, and that's the second time he's made sure he isn't down on the Quidditch pitch with the rest of the school. He skipped the last match, too, Allegra was fuming." Harry sighed, "I wish I'd followed him now instead of going to the match."

"Don't be an idiot," Ron said sharply. "If you had missed the match Allegra would have worn your guts as jewellery. Worse, probably, if she found out it was to follow _him_."

"I want to know what he's up to, and Ali should too," Harry said. "I watch him on the map, he—"

"I think you're getting a bit obsessed with him, mate."

Harry didn't like this answer, and so looked away, glaring up at the ceiling. If only he could get someone to follow Malfoy twenty-four-seven, then surely he would find out what exactly Malfoy does with all his time.

It didn't take long until Ron's breathing slowed, and he began to snore.

This was the third time Harry had been to the Hospital Wing because of a Quidditch injury. Last time he had fallen off his broom due to the presence of Dementors around the pitch, and the time before that, all the bones had been removed from his arm by the inept Professor Lockhart… that had been the most painful injury he'd ever had, he'd been up all night while the bones regrew, and then an unexpected visitor turned up, making the whole situation worse—

He sat bolt upright, heart pounding. He had the solution at last, there _was_ a way to have Malfoy followed—how could he have forgotten? Why hadn't he thought of it before?

"Kreacher?" Harry whispered. There was loud crack and the sounds of scuffling and squeaks filled the room. Ron woke with a start.

"What the bloody hell's going on?"

Harry pointed his wand at Madame Pomfrey's office and whispered " _Muffilato!_ " so that she'd not be able to hear the ruckus outside.

Two house-elves were rolling around on the floor, one wearing a small maroon jumper and the other nothing but a rag. There was another loud bang, and Peeves the poltergeist appeared.

"I was watching that, Potty," he said, before pointing at the fight and cackling.

"Kreacher will not insult Harry Potter in front of Dobby, no he won't, or Dobby will shut Kreacher's mouth for him!" Dobby cried.

"Kretcher will say what he likes about his master, oh yes, and what a master he is, filthy friend of Mudbloods, oh, what would poor Kreacher's mistress say?"

Dobby threw his little fist and knocked out half of Kreacher's teeth. Harry and Ron leaped from their beds and pulled the two elves apart. Peeves screeched and hollered as the two elves still tried to kick and scratch at one another. Harry pointed his wand at the ghost and said ' _Langlock_!" Peeves' voice disappeared, and the ghost swept from the room, clutching his throat.

"Nice one," Ron said, "that was another Prince hex, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Right, I'm forbidding you to fight each other! Well, Kreacher, you're forbidden to fight Dobby. Dobby, I know I'm not allowed to give you orders, but—"

"Dobby is a free elf and he can obey anyone he likes, and Dobby will do whatever Harry Potter wants him to do!" Dobby said valiantly.

"Okay, then," Harry and Ron released the elves.

"Master called me?" Kreacher croaked, sinking into a bow while giving Harry a glare that could only be wishing death upon him.

"Yeah, I did," Harry said, "I've got a job for you."

"Kreacher will do whatever Master wants," he said. "Because Kreacher has no choice, but Kreacher is ashamed to have such a Master, yes—'

"Dobby will do it, Harry Potter!" Dobby said, "Dobby would be honoured to help."

"All right, actually, it would be good to have both of you," Harry said. "I want you to tail Draco Malfoy."

"Harry…" Ron said, a dark look on his features. "Allegra will kill you."

Harry decided to ignore Ron.

"I want to know where he's going, who he's meeting, and what he's doing. I want you to follow him around the clock. Take shifts."

"Yes, Harry Potter! And if Dobby does wrong, Dobby will throw himself from the tallest tower!"

"There won't be any need for that," Harry said.

"Master wants me to follow the youngest of the Malfoys?" Kreacher asked. "Master wants me to spy upon the pureblood great-nephew of my old mistress?"

"That's the one. And you're forbidden to tip him off, Kreacher, or to show him what you're up to, or to talk to him at all, or to write him messages, or… or to contact him in any way. Got it?"

Kreacher struggled for a moment, mentally searching for a loophole, but, unable to find one, bowed deeply.

"Master thinks of everything and Kreacher must obey him even though Kreacher would much rather be the servant of the Malfoy boy, oh yes…"

Harry ignored him. He doubted even Malfoy would like to have Kreacher as a servant.

"That settles it, then," Harry said, ignoring the expression on Ron's face. "I want regular reports, but make sure I'm not surrounded by people when you turn up. Ron is fine… Hermione, too. _Not_ Allegra. Okay? And don't tell anyone what you're doing. Just stick to Malfoy like a couple of plasters."

Harry and Ron were released from the Hospital Wing first thing on Monday morning, and were reunited with Allegra and Hermione by breakfast.

"Yeah, you could hear their argument from a floor below," Allegra said, referring to a rather public display Dean and Ginny had given the school the night before.

"What were they arguing about?" Harry asked as they turned the corner on a seventh-floor corridor. A small girl had been staring at a tapestry of trolls wearing tutus, and when she caught sight of who was approaching, dropped the heavy brass scales she'd been holding.

"It's all right," Hermione said kindly, hurrying forward to help her. "Here…" She tapped the broken scales with her wand and repaired it. The girl did not say thank you, but remained rooted to the spot as they passed, and watched them until they were out of sight.

"I swear they're getting smaller," Ron said.

"Never mind her," Harry said impatiently, "what did Dean and Ginny argue about?"

"Dean had apparently laughed about McLaggen hitting the bludger at you," Allegra told him.

"It must have been at least a little funny," Ron said.

"It was not," Allegra and Hermione said.

"It looked terrible," Hermione said, "if Coote and Peakes hadn't caught him he could have been very badly hurt!"

"Yeah, but I don't think Ginny and Dean needed to split up over it, or are they still together?" Harry said.

"They're still together," Allegra said. "But you certainly seem interested."

Harry flushed. "I just don't think—"

"Harry!" The four stopped and Luna came running up. "I went to the hospital wing to find you," she said, rummaging in her bag. "But they said you'd gone." She thrust what appeared to be a green onion, a large spotted toadstool and a considerable amount of what looked like cat litter into Ron's hands, until she pulled out a grubby scroll. "I was told to give you this."

"Tonight," He told them, once he had it unravelled.

"Nice commentary on the match," Ron said to Luna as she replaced the strange objects back in her bag.

"You're making fun of me, aren't you? Everyone said I was dreadful."

"No, I'm serious!" Ron said earnestly. "I can't remember enjoying commentary more!" Luna said goodbye and walked in the opposite direction. "You know, she's grown on me, Luna. I know she's insane, but in a good—"

Allegra followed Ron's line of sight, and saw Lavender at the bottom of the marble staircase, looking thunderous.

"Hi," Ron said weakly.

"We'd better get out of here," Allegra said, and Harry and Hermione nodded and followed as she scarpered.

As Allegra walked up the path from visiting _Witherwings_ (she was doing a project for class on him), she heard a loud _pop_ , and then a "Pssst!"

She looked around, and then caught sight of Kreacher, of all people, beckoning her over to the trees in which he stood.

"Kreacher?"

"Friend of Mudbloods," he said, addressing her with his usual disdain, "are you alone?" He looked around.

"Yes," Allegra said cautiously.

"Kreacher has something to tell you, something Kreacher thinks you want to know, something Kreacher wants you to know."

"All right," she said, "what is it?"

"Kreacher's Master has asked Kreacher and that," Kreacher made a growling noise, "Dobby, to tail my Mistress's great-nephew, the youngest of the Malfoys."

It took a moment for Allegra to register what it was exactly that Kreacher was trying to tell her.

"Do you mean he's asked you and Dobby to _follow_ _Draco_?"

Kreacher nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes! Kreacher did not want to do it, but Kreacher's Master was clever, and forbid him to talk to the Malfoy boy. But he did not tell Kreacher not to tell the friend of Malfoy, just that Kreacher could not report to him while she was near."

Allegra narrowed her eyes. "So, let me get this straight. Harry has ordered you and Dobby to follow Draco, report back to him about what Draco's up to, and not to let me know about it?"

Kreacher nodded again.

"All right," Allegra said, feeling her hands ball at her sides. "Leave this with me, Kreacher. Thank you for… enlightening me."

Harry was in a world of trouble.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Hey… Hey!" Allegra swung back round to face Draco and Blaise. She'd seen them but been too angry to stop. She would have carried on up the stairs if Draco hadn't caught her arm. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm not in a good mood," Allegra said, in what could possibly be the understatement of the millennium. She glanced around, searching for a glimpse of one of those little fuckers. Just a glimpse of a pointed ear and she'd lose it. Blaise and Draco followed her eyes with some bemusement, then Draco's eyes caught hers again. "I think it's probably best if I go up and get this out of my system before I erupt."

Allegra could feel the magic straining under her skin, looking for any chink in her armor for it to slip through and cause havoc. Just a slip of her attention and she might bring the whole staircase down.

The boys smiled, then frowned, realising she was serious.

"Wow," Blaise said, "you really are ready to kill someone."

"Uh huh. It's taking a lot of effort just to stand here, not destroying everything," she said, her teeth gritted in effort. The boys eyed her. She wasn't kidding; they knew what she was. "I think I'd better go," she said. She shivered, and a painting on the wall fell and the frame splintered into eight pieces.

"Allegra," Draco said, clearly shocked, but she crossed her arms tightly across her chest and took the stairs two at a time.

She found Hermione sat at one of the tables in the common room.

"Where's Harry?" Allegra growled.

Hermione's head jerked up. "I don't know. I think he has his lesson with Dumbledore tonight. What's wrong?"

"We need to go somewhere," Allegra said. A glass somewhere behind her smashed.

"What the hell was that?" A fourth-year boy shouted.

"Let's go upstairs," Hermione said, slamming her book and standing quickly.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Allegra said. "I might break something."

"Nothing that can't be repaired," Hermione said, and quickly ushered Allegra upstairs. As soon as they were through the door and Hermione had it closed, Allegra lost it.

"You are never going to fucking believe this, Hermione," Allegra said, stalking away from her, then back.

"What is it?"

"Harry. Harry, he—" Allegra shook her head.

"He what, Ali?"

"He's fucking got Kreacher and Dobby following Draco! That must be against some kind of elf right you've got—I just can't believe he would do that! I've been sharing everything I've learned with him—there's literally not anything that's not personally about our relationship that I haven't told him," Allegra sobbed once, then gritted her teeth and turned away, letting her grip slip enough that their wardrobe smashed in half and collapsed in on itself. Hermione flinched back, and looked at her with wide eyes and mouth open.

"Are-are you sure?"

"Kreacher came to me to tell me—Harry had told him very specifically that he couldn't tell Draco he was following him, and couldn't let _me_ hear the reports. The only reason I know is because Harry didn't think to specifically tell Kreacher not to tell me. I can't believe… No. I guess I can. I thought we were better friends, but I suppose his obsession with Draco is worth more to him than I am."

"Ali, no! I don't want to defend him, but that's not true. He hasn't chosen his obsession over you."

"It feels like it!" Allegra said, and somewhere behind her another piece of furniture cracked. "Hermione, this really _really_ _hurts_." She felt hot tears on her face, and swiped them away as quickly as they'd come. "It's not even that I don't understand why, it's that he knows I wouldn't like it and did it anyway. He knew that he'd have a chance to spy on my conversations. Does he think I'm in on it? Tell me, Hermione, because I don't know what to think anymore."

"No, of course not… I don't think so."

"Did you know about this?"

"No," the one word was so sincere that Allegra didn't need another. At least she could trust Hermione, if no one else.

"I don't know what to do," Allegra said, her voice shaking. "I have to tell him to stop. But what if he doesn't? I won't be able to speak to Draco like I want to. How the hell would I explain to him why he can't touch me without telling him my idiot of a best friend is spying on him—on us—around the clock? And if I did tell Draco, I would be permanently throwing myself in with him, and Harry would never speak to me again." Allegra sat down on her bed and looked up at Hermione. "What do I do?"

Hermione was quiet for a long time. Eventually, she flicked her wand at the broken objects, and they returned to their previous order. "I think you have to talk to Harry," she said. "I don't think you have another choice."

Hermione waited with Allegra in the common room until after all the other Gryffindors had gone up to bed. She would usually have written a message to Draco by now. She wondered if he was checking it, wondering why she hadn't looked at hers. Would he worry? Her insides felt knotted. At least, she supposed, if Dobby was watching Draco even now, it would just look like he was writing in a journal.

Harry finally came inside. He almost rushed past, but glanced at the sofas and when he saw who it was, he stopped.

"All right? It's late for you two to be down here."

Allegra had suddenly become unable to speak. It was like all the things she wanted to stay had tried to get through one doorway at once, and become wedged there, unable to get through.

"Actually," Hermione started primly, clearing her throat. "I think we'd all better talk."

Harry looked suspicious, but took a seat in the armchair beside the sofa where Allegra sat, knees drawn up to her chest.

"We know about Dobby and Kreacher," Hermione said.

Harry's face flickered quickly between emotions, then settled on angry.

"Ron told you."

"No," Allegra said, finally finding her voice. "Kreacher told me."

Allegra saw the moment he realised his mistake, and regretted leaving that hole for Kreacher to wiggle through.

"Yeah," she said, "it's a real shame you left him that loophole. It's a shame I found out."

"Ali," Harry started, not at all apologetic.

"Don't," she snapped, putting up her hand. "I don't want you to tell me how naïve I am. I don't want you to tell me how stupid I am for putting any trust in Draco." She looked away briefly, then held him with her eyes. "I just feel stupid for believing that I was important to you."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What? Of course you're important to me, that's half the reason for doing this!"

Allegra shook her head vehemently. "No. No, Harry. It's not. You're doing this because you can't believe that I have told you everything I know."

"I'm doing this because I know he's lying to you!" Harry shouted, getting out of the chair and casting a shadow over Allegra.

"He's not—"

"He is! He's going to do something terrible and leave you high and dry! He'll move on and he won't give you a second thought!"

Allegra shot to her feet as a tremble ran through the floor.

"That is not true!"

"It is! It is true, and it's going to take some proof for you to understand that everything Malfoy touches turns to dust!"

"Allegra," Hermione warned. At first she thought Hermione was telling her not to argue with Harry, but she saw that her eyes were on the floor, where a deep crack was forming in the wooden floorboards.

"Stop. Just stop it. You don't know anything about it, you just make up these fantastic stories in your head and take them as gospel. Call them off."

"No."

"Harry," Allegra said, as the floor gave another rumble, just enough to make her ankles feel unstable beneath her, "if you don't call them off yourself, I'll call them off for you."

"What do you have to hide, Ali? What do you know?"

"I've told you everything I know!" she said. The only part she hadn't told him was the way she felt about Draco. And the way Draco felt about her. Well, that was private.

"I don't believe you. You're hiding something."

"If you don't call them off right now, the best I'll do is go to Dumbledore and tell him what you're doing."

"And the worst?"

Allegra shrugged.

"Harry, please," Hermione said. "This isn't fair. You can't spy on people. You're spying on Allegra, too."

"FINE," Harry shouted. "DOBBY, KREACHER." The two House-elves popped into the room. "I no longer want you to tail Malfoy. Leave." Kreacher smiled, a horrible, dark grin, and disappeared.

"But Dobby saw him, Harry Potter, Dobby saw him with—" Dobby cut off mid-sentence when he saw Allegra standing behind him. He turned back to Harry, and with one hand beside his mouth as if to tell a secret, he whispered "Allegra, Harry Potter, they were—"

"Dobby," Hermione said, and the one word was enough. Dobby stopped.

"They were not doing anything bad, Harry Potter. Dobby supposes."

"Thanks for your help, Dobby, but what he was doing with Allegra really wasn't my concern."

"Then Dobby has failed you!" Dobby swiped up a metal poker from the fireplace and started hitting himself in the forehead with it. Harry, Allegra and Hermione managed to pry it from his hands, and once consoled that he had done as asked, popped from the room.

"Happy?" Harry asked.

"No," Allegra said.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I know you don't trust me," Allegra said, and walked up the dormitory stairs to bed.

"I don't want to, Hermione," Allegra told her, stopping just out of sight of the table where Harry and Ron sat, working on potions homework.

"Ali, please."

"I never made you sit with Ron."

"I know that, but I know the both of you and if you don't try and work through this, you'll just stop talking to each other forever."

Allegra thought that sounded like a perfectly good idea just at this moment, but a little voice at the back of her mind told her that in another week she'd be missing Harry's company. She sighed.

"Fine, but I can't promise there won't be petty passive-aggressive comments."

Hermione nodded, "I understand."

Very, very reluctantly, Allegra followed Hermione to the table, put down her books, and slipped into the seat beside Ron. She didn't think she was the only one who could feel the atmosphere become as thick as the sludge at the bottom of the lake.

"Did you see the notice?" Hermione said as her opening venture. "They've set the date for the apparition test."

"Fat lot of good it does me," Harry mumbled.

"At least you can apparate, though," Ron said. "You'll have no trouble come July." Ron had not yet managed to apparate. Hermione had managed it on two separate occasions. Allegra had been told by McGonagall to fake a few failures because the uptight colourless man was asking questions. "What did you write for the next bit?"

"Sorry, mate, I'm trying to figure out the Slughorn problem."

The last time Allegra had spoken to Harry was during the argument a few days ago, so all she knew of 'The Slughorn Problem' was from past conversations and Hermione's attempts to talk about Harry normally.

"Well you're not going to find it in there," Hermione said. "Dumbledore said only you can get the memory, so _you've_ got to persuade him."

"How do you spell 'belligerent'?" Ron asked, shaking his quill. "It can't be B-U-M—'

"It's not," Allegra said.

"And 'augury' doesn't start with an O, either," Hermione said. "What kind of quill are you using?"

"One of Fred and George's Spell-Checking ones, but the charm must be wearing off."

"Yes, I think so," Hermione pointed at his title. "I'm not sure what a 'Dugbog' is, but I'm fairly sure the essay was supposed to be on Dementors."

"And since when is your name Roonil Wazlib?" Allegra asked.

"Oh, no!" Ron said, horror-struck. "Does this mean I'll have to write the whole thing out again?"

"It's okay, we can fix it," Hermione said, pulling the essay towards her and taking out her wand.

Ron sat back in his seat, "I love you, Hermione."

Hermione's cheeks flushed, and Allegra stamped down on a smirk.

"Don't let Lavender hear you say that."

"I won't," Ron said. "Or maybe I will… then she'd ditch me…"

"Why don't you—" Harry and Allegra started at the same time, then stopped. They caught each other's eyes.

"Go on," Allegra murmured.

"Why don't you break up with her?"

"You haven't ever dumped anyone, have you?" Ron said. "You and Cho just—"

"Sort of fell apart, yeah," Harry said.

"I wish that would happen with me and Lavender," Ron said, watching Hermione tap the misspelt words. "I keep hinting that I want to end it, but the more I hint the tighter she holds on. It's like going out with the Giant Squid."

"The way I see it," Allegra said, "you have three options."

"All right," Ron nodded. "What are they?"

"One: you get up the guts and dump her."

"Obvious and straightforward," Ron nodded, "but easy to put off, what's the next one?"

"Two: you do something so terrible that she breaks up with you. There will probably be screaming. Possibly, your reputation as a nice guy would be trampled." Ron tilted his head, considering it as an option. "Or three: you have her bumped off."

"Allegra!" Hermione said, looking up suddenly in shock.

"What? It's a perfectly valid option," she said, and to her surprise, Harry began to laugh.

"I don't know," Ron said with a grin, "I'm not sure I'm prepared to have anyone killed."

"Are you in the right house?" Harry asked.

"I think so," Allegra smiled. "Maybe I need to see someone?"

"A therapist!" Hermione laughed, and just like that, Allegra and Harry were back on speaking terms. There was still a chasm between them, far too big to cross, but at least now they could stand on the banks and shout to each other.

That Saturday, Hermione and Ron had gone down to Hogsmeade for an extra apparition lesson before their upcoming test. Allegra had not gone, since McGonagall had specifically told her she didn't think it would be a good idea to "show off". Allegra had only wanted to go to get out of the castle, but instead spent the morning working on homework alone in the library, and a very short time with Blaise and Draco before Hermione and Ron returned, sweeping her away with them for lunch.

"How was it?" Allegra asked, spotting Harry walking up the aisle and feeling her chest tighten. She hadn't forgiven him by any stretch of the imagination and her body couldn't help flinching whenever she first saw him. Like it was expecting another blow.

"I did it—well, kind of!" Ron said. "I was supposed to be apparating to outside Madam Puddifoot's teashop, and I overshot a bitt, ended up near Scrivenshaft's, but at least I moved!"

"That's great!" Allegra said.

"Good one," Harry said, sliding onto the bench beside Ron. "How'd you do, Hermione?"

"Oh, she was perfect, obviously," Ron said before Hermione could answer. "Perfect deliberation, divination and desperation, or whatever the hell it is—we all went for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks after and you should've heard Twycross go on about her—I'll be surprised if he doesn't pop the question soon—"

"What about you?" Hermione asked Harry. "What have you been doing?"

Harry's eyes slid towards Allegra, and she busied herself filling her plate, as though she was probably not listening.

"Up at the Room of Requirement," he mumbled, and Allegra's heart revved. "But guess who I ran into up there? Tonks!"

"Tonks?" Ron and Hermione repeated together.

"Yeah, she said she'd come to visit Dumbledore, but he wasn't there. It was odd, she was completely detached. Looked like she was going to burst into tears any moment. She really doesn't look very well."

"If you ask me," Ron said, "I think she's cracking up a bit. I mean, don't you think she's lost her nerve a bit since the Ministry?"

"It certainly seems out of character for her to leave her post and come up here to see Dumbledore without an appointment," Hermione said, worry written across her face.

"I was wondering," Harry started tentatively, "do you think she could have been… you know… in love with Sirius?"

Hermione stared at him.

"But they were cousins," Allegra said.

Harry shrugged. "I dunno, doesn't seem to have stopped many purebloods in the past. It's just when I mentioned him she looked even worse, and her Patronus is something canine now. She's been like this for a long time, I can't imagine that it is just the grief of Sirius's death that's doing it."

"I just can't imagine why she would need to speak to Dumbledore," Hermione mused.

Allegra's gaze wandered off to the to the other side of the hall. Draco was looking at her. They smiled. Allegra felt a fluttering in her chest, and turned away, feeling ridiculous, and probably blushing.

Harry was watching her, an oddly blank expression on his features. Allegra found an opening in Ron and Hermione's conversation and jumped back in, head first.


End file.
